Sue Bird credits Caitlin Clark for WNBA’s breakthrough: ‘She poured gasoline all over that thing’

Caitlin Clark’s rookie season with the Indiana Fever was just about everything WNBA fans hoped it would be.

The No. 1 overall pick averaged 19.2 points, recorded two triple-doubles, won Rookie of the Year honors and even took the Fever to the playoffs after a tumultuous start. She caught the attention of a brand new swath of fans, and that wasn’t lost on one of the WNBA’s all-time greats.

Sue Bird credited Clark with the WNBA’s 2024 breakthrough in a recent podcast appearance, breaking down what made the former Iowa phenom so entertaining compared to other players.

Here’s a look at what Bird said and why she’s all in on Clark going forward.

MORE: Mike Breen compares Caitlin Clark’s WNBA impact to NBA legends

What did Sue Bird say?

Speaking on Bloomberg’s “The Deal” podcast, Bird praised Clark as the biggest reason for the WNBA’s audience success in 2024.

“It was starting, the fire was there,” Bird said of the WNBA’s steps toward a breakthrough in 2023. “But Caitlin came and she poured gasoline all over that thing and just took it to another level.”

Bird credited Clark’s long-range 3-pointers for drawing in a more casual audience for the league, comparing the entertainment level of her “logo 3s” to the NBA’s slam dunk.

“She broke through, I think, with her logo 3s … we finally had the antidote to dunking,” Bird said.

It’s fair to say Clark had a Stephen Curry effect on the WNBA, as Curry helped make the 3-pointer more popular than ever when he broke through with the Warriors. It wasn’t just that Curry could make a high percentage of shots — it was that he felt comfortable shooting them from parts of the court no one else would dare shoot from.

The WNBA has 3-point shooters, but Clark flashed a certain confidence to shoot from anywhere during her time at Iowa and carried it to the Fever.

MORE: How good is Caitlin Clark at golf?

Bird said she believes Clark’s long-range 3-pointers changed the mentality of the casual fan who once wasn’t interested in the WNBA.

“Because all anybody ever wants to say is … ‘You’re not worth it, I can probably beat you, you can’t even dunk,'” Bird said. “But now it’s, ‘Oh s—, that girl’s hitting logo 3s, I don’t think I can do that.”

Clark attempted more 3-pointers than anyone in the WNBA this past season, averaging 8.9 attempts per game and shooting 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. Efficiency was an issue early on for Clark, but her confidence paid off. She shot 37 percent from 3-point range after the Olympic break, including nearly 39 percent over her last nine games to solidify Indiana’s playoff status.

The debate surrounding Clark’s impact on the WNBA might bleed into her second season, but Bird is fairly certain about where the Fever star stands.