Caitlin Clark and Serena Williams’ presence humbles 2 x Super Bowl champion

Caitlin Clark, Serena Williams and Eli Manning were part of an NFL event to discuss ways to improve women's flag football.

Caitlin Clark and Serena Williams’ presence humbles 2 x Super Bowl champion

Caitlin Clark along with Serena Williams and Eli Manning at an NFL event

The stardom of Caitlin Clark is such that now she has a security team tagging along with her most of the time. There are situations when the Indiana Fever superstar handles crowds and other personalities on her own, considering she is quite adept at it.

Her performances both in college basketball as well as the WNBA have helped add to that fame. Some are already calling her development as surreal, considering Caitlin Clark has put in a lot of work to become one of the best.

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At the same time, she looks up to tennis legend Serena Williams. The 23-time grand slam winner has been the most impactful female athlete over the past two decades. Her wins and along with her personality have established herself a global icon.

In the event the two end up being in the same room, it is bound to send fans into a frenzy. They are two female athletes who are helping transform the world of women’s sports. Which is why a two-time Super Bowl champion might look like the odd one out.

Statistically, I’m bringing down the average win percentage of this panel.

Eli Manning wrote

That is what Eli Manning felt when he shared the floor with those two ladies at an NFL event. He might have won two Super Bowls and is likely to wear a Hall of Fame gold jacket sometime soon. But even he knows he does not hold a candle when standing beside Caitlin Clark and Serena Williams.

Caitlin Clark was not the best player in high school

Caitlin Clark might hold the NCAA’s all-time record for most points. She also might hold the WNBA record for most assists in a single season. But long before her journey to the top, she was not one of the nation’s best young women’s basketball players.

When she was in high school, she was one of the better players in the country. However, at the time, ESPN ranked Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink ahead of her. She ended up being the fourth highest ranked recruit in the class of 2024.

It showed from her time playing for Team USA in the 2019 FIBA U-19 World Cup. A video surfaced showing Clark sitting on the bench. Instead of her, the starting point guard was Hailey Van Lith, another top ranked recruit from that same class. Van Lith, Bueckers started alongside Clark’s Indiana Fever teammate Aliyah Boston.

Another former Fever teammate Celeste Taylor was also a part of that team. The team went on to win gold, with Clark playing far fewer minutes than Taylor to eventually wind up with a mere 5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Fans of the Fever superstar might not believe she once put up these numbers.

Caitlin Clark will likely lead star-studded 2028 Olympics team

After Caitlin Clark was snubbed from the 2024 Paris Olympics Team USA squad, it caused a furor amongst both fans as well as members of the media. They felt she had done everything to earn a spot and along with her fame, could benefit the WNBA and women’s basketball as a whole.

But Team USA’s selection committee focused on continuity and experience to assemble the squad. After the Olympics, Clark’s performances seemingly proved their decision wrong. Everyone felt her presence would not have done any harm, instead would have helped the league grow.

Now that is in the past, fans are witnessing the Fever star grow into one of the best players in the league. If she continues to develop her game, Team USA might select her as their starting point guard for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

She should hold her position even if Bueckers, JuJu Watkins and other prospects come in. If all of them happen to develop to be superstars by then, the 2028 Team USA squad will likely be star-studded. Clark, Bueckers, Watkins along with several members of the 2024 team will make them a super team.