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Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark sent a message to the Indiana Hoosiers.
WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark will have a presence in the NBA moving forward this season. NBC and Peacock’s coverage of NBA games will see Clark joining their broadcasting team in a guest role. The effort to continue trying new things to change up the presentation for NBC will see arguably the most popular women’s basketball player in the world joining their coverage.
NBC’s press release revealed the following:
“Caitlin Clark, superstar point guard for the Indiana Fever, will join NBC Sports as a special contributor, brought to you by Xfinity, for the debut of Basketball Night in America live at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 1.
As a special contributor, Clark will join the Basketball Night in America studio team of Maria Taylor and analysts and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady for pregame commentary.”
The hope for NBC is for the “Basketball Night in America” to provide a similar vibe to NBC’s weekly Sunday Night Football game, especially now that the NFL season only has one game left. This Sunday starts the new weekly theme of big games on national television with their top broadcasters in the studio.
Caitlin Clark Praises Her New Teammates
Clark is known for being a great teammate on the basketball court since her passing skills are almost as impressive as her ability to score. However, this new role will see Clark verbally sharing conversations with a couple of NBA legends. Carter, Anthony, and McGrady are considered the “A-team” of NBC’s various studio broadcasters.
The following quote from Clark showed her excitement for the new role:
“I’m really excited to be part of the Basketball Night in America crew this season. Carmelo, Vince, and Tracy are legends of the game and Maria is a true professional. It will be really fun to join them a few times this season.”
The NBA and WNBA having a strong partnership should see more things like this taking place in the future, once the WNBAPA and league can agree to a new deal. Sabrina Ionescu taking part in the All-Star Weekend three-point shootout against Stephen Curry a few years ago benefited the NBA immensely.
Does Caitlin Clark Follow The NBA?
One common question coming from this report has seen fans asking if Clark follows the NBA deeply enough to provide opinions in an analyst role. Clark has attended many Indiana Pacers games to show support to her local team as a member of the Indiana Fever in the NBA.
Past comments made by Clark on social media prove that she grew up loving the NBA and has never stopped following the league. Jeremy Lin was Clark’s favorite player as a teenager to show how deep in the NBA bubble she was.
NBC is smart for taking the chance on bringing in Clark, and other networks could benefit from adding other top WNBA players during the offseason. An increase in fan interest and general success for the WNBA in recent years makes it clear there’s a great chance to cross over with the NBA more often.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford
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