Caitlin Clark says Maya Moore is her LeBron James

LeBron James is very often mentioned by up-and-coming NBA stars as the player they look up to, having followed the career of the Los Angeles Lakers superstar as they grew up in the game.

Rising WNBA star Caitlin Clark said she has looked up to women’s basketball legend Maya Moore in much the same way NBA players look up to James.

“She was my favorite player ever growing up,” Clark said. “And that was who I loved watching. And I still think of her like, she’s like my LeBron James as a kid.”

Clark’s comments are coming in advance of Moore having her No. 23 retired by the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 24. Coincidentally, the ceremony will take place prior to a game against Clark and the Indiana Fever.

Back in March, Moore surprised Clark before the University of Iowa star played her final regular-season game and broke the all-time NCAA scoring record.

For his part, James has taken note of Clark’s arrival into the WNBA, giving the 22-year-old the advice to “be a horse” while dealing with the attention and expectations as she embarks on her new professional career.

This offseason, the 39-year-old agreed to a new contract with the Lakers, and after they selected his son Bronny with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the historic pairing could become the first father-son duo to play together on the same NBA team during the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season.

Following her historic collegiate career, Clark is competing in her rookie season with the Fever after they made her the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

She is averaging 16.8 points, 7.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game for the Fever, who have a record of 11-14 so far this season. In a recent game at Minnesota, she scored 17 points with six assists and three rebounds in Indiana’s 81-74 victory.

Clark is in an intriguing race for WNBA Rookie of the Year with former college rival Angel Reese, who plays for the Chicago Sky.

Moore won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award in 2011 and also won Olympic gold medals with Team USA in 2012 and 2016. Clark was notably left off the U.S. women’s team that will compete at the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.

However, the young star likely will get a chance to match Moore’s Olympic achievements at some point as well.