LeBron James claps back at Caitlin Clark's haters after NCAA championship loss

For the first time in history, women’s college basketball is drawing even more attention than the male game. Perhaps because of the NBA G-League’s Ignite team, perhaps because of the influx of international talent, or perhaps because it’s also better than ever.

Whatever the case, Iowa star Caitlin Clark became one of the most popular athletes in the U.S. this season, and rightfully so. She broke all kinds of marks in collegiate basketball, and she looks poised for stardom at the next level.

That’s why, following his team’s loss to South Carolina in the championship game, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James wanted to make sure no one had anything bad to say about her.

LeBron James Defends Caitlin Clark

“If you don’t rock with Caitlin Clark game you’re just a FLAT OUT HATER!!!!!” the four-time NBA champion wrote on X after the game. “Stay far away from them people!! PLEASE.”

Clark was mostly praised after the loss, and she did everything she could to keep his team close, scoring 30 points. Still, she ended up on the losing end of the championship game for the second consecutive year.

Diana Taurasi Isn’t Impressed By Clark

Clark is now heavily expected to be the first-overall pick in the WNBA Draft. Even so, WNBA legend Diana Taurasi doesn’t seem to be impressed by her game or all the hype:

“Reality is coming, there’s levels to this thing,” Taurasi said on SportsCenter. “And that’s just life, we all went through it. You look superhuman playing against some 18 years olds but you’re going to come [play] with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time. Not saying it’s not gonna translate, because when you’re great at what you do, you’re just gonna get better. But there is gonna be a transition period, where you’re gonna have to give yourself some grace as a rookie.”

Truth be told, it’s tough to watch a veteran and legend of the game like Taurasi trying to take down Clark before she even stepped on the court. That’s even more difficult to explain if you consider the fact that the women’s game is finally getting the attention it needs and deserves, and plenty of that is because of her.

Hopefully, Clark will make whoever feels threatened by her and her potential regret their comments and give props to her and other young stars like Angel Reese for what they’re doing for women’s hoops.