LeBron James Gets Real About Caitlin Clark
Summary
TLDRThe discussion highlights Caitlyn Clark's impressive performance and the challenges she faces as a rising star in the WNBA. The conversation touches on the quick transition from college to professional basketball, the animosity from older players, and the pressures of high expectations. Drawing from personal experiences, the speaker advises Clark to focus on her craft and ignore negativity. The podcast also celebrates her impact on the sport, such as the WNBA's first chartered plane, and hopes for her continued success. The speaker reminisces about similar challenges faced during his early NBA days and reflects on the journey of playing professional sports.
Takeaways
- π Caitlyn Clark had a phenomenal run and is playing real WNBA games soon after her college season ended.
- β±οΈ There is a quick turnaround from the college season to the WNBA season, with little to no offseason for players like Caitlyn Clark.
- π€¨ There is a sense of animosity or dislike towards Caitlyn Clark from older players, similar to what the speaker experienced when entering the NBA.
- π The speaker faced similar animosity from teammates and opponents when he entered the NBA as a highly touted player.
- π οΈ Advice for Caitlyn Clark: Focus on her work, improve her game, learn from veterans, and avoid getting involved in negative comments.
- π Caitlyn Clark's presence is increasing interest and viewership in women's basketball, contributing to milestones like chartered flights for the team.
- π The Indiana Fever, Caitlyn Clark's team, had the number one pick for two consecutive years, indicating they are in a rebuilding phase.
- π’ The speaker supports Caitlyn Clark and hopes she can turn around the Indiana Fever franchise, similar to past stars like Tamika Catchings.
- π¨βπ¦ The speaker relates to Caitlyn Clark's situation through his son's experience, who faces similar challenges as a young athlete.
- π The speaker believes Caitlyn Clark has a great talent and attitude, and he wishes her success in her professional career.
Q & A
What sport is the main focus of the discussion in the transcript?
-The main focus of the discussion is basketball.
Who is Caitlyn Clark and what is significant about her recent performance?
-Caitlyn Clark is a professional basketball player who has been making headlines for her phenomenal run in the WNBA. The discussion mentions her quick turnaround from the national championship game to playing in real WNBA games, highlighting her impressive performance.
What is the 'quick turnaround' mentioned in the transcript referring to?
-The 'quick turnaround' refers to the short period between the end of the college basketball season, including the national championship game, and the start of the WNBA season, with little to no real offseason for the players.
What is the issue of animosity discussed in the context of Caitlyn Clark's experience?
-The issue of animosity discussed is the apparent dislike or trial that Caitlyn Clark seems to be facing from older players in the WNBA, similar to what many new players experience when they first join the league.
What advice does the speaker give to Caitlyn Clark and others with high expectations?
-The advice given is to focus on working hard, learning from veterans, keeping one's mouth shut, and not getting involved in any negative talk or distractions. The speaker emphasizes the importance of putting in the work and improving one's game.
What is the significance of the chartered plane for the WNBA team mentioned in the transcript?
-The chartered plane signifies a positive change in the WNBA, as it was the first time in the league's history that a team flew privately. This is seen as a result of the increased attention and interest in the league, partly due to players like Caitlyn Clark.
What is the speaker's opinion on the Indiana Fever's performance?
-The speaker is critical of the Indiana Fever, noting that they had the number one draft pick for two consecutive years, which implies that the team is not performing well. The speaker challenges the notion that the team should be doing better if they have such high draft picks.
What does the speaker suggest about the nature of professional sports?
-The speaker suggests that professional sports are still team games and that individual talent, while important, cannot single-handedly change the outcome of games. They emphasize the importance of teamwork and collective effort.
What is the speaker's personal connection to the situation discussed?
-The speaker has a personal connection as they have experienced similar animosity when they first joined the NBA. They also relate the situation to their son, who is facing animosity as a young professional athlete.
What was the quote mentioned about the speaker's teammates and their initial perception of him?
-The quote mentioned was from Paul Silas, the speaker's head coach, who said that the speaker's teammates hated him. This reflects the initial animosity and skepticism the teammates had towards the speaker when he first joined the NBA.
What was the incorrect prediction made by one of the speaker's teammates about LeBron James?
-One of the speaker's teammates predicted that LeBron James would struggle to score and wouldn't be a great scorer in the NBA, which turned out to be incorrect as LeBron went on to score over 40,000 points.
Outlines
π Newcomer Challenges in Basketball
The speaker discusses the challenges faced by Caitlyn Clark, a basketball player, as she transitions from college to the WNBA. The rapid turnaround from the college season to the professional league is highlighted, with no significant offseason. The speaker also addresses the animosity that newcomers, like Clark, may face from older players, drawing on personal experiences from his time in the NBA. Advice is given to focus on hard work, learning from veterans, and avoiding unnecessary controversy. The impact of Clark's presence on the WNBA is acknowledged, with the league chartering a private plane for the first time, a move attributed to her influence.
π€ Reflections on Animosity Towards New Talent
In this paragraph, the speaker reflects on the animosity that new talents in professional sports, like Caitlyn Clark, can face from others. He emphasizes the importance of having a strong mindset and focusing on personal development. The speaker shares anecdotes from his own career and that of his son, who is also an athlete, to illustrate the point. He mentions a quote from his former coach, Paul Silas, about teammates' initial dislike for him. The speaker also recounts a conversation with an unnamed teammate about LeBron James, who was doubted early in his career but went on to have a successful career. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to support new talents and a call to subscribe to the 'Mind the Game' podcast.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Caitlyn Clark
π‘WNBA
π‘Animosity
π‘Offseason
π‘Expectation
π‘Veterans
π‘Indiana Fever
π‘Team game
π‘Animosity towards young players
π‘LeBron
π‘Punching the clock
Highlights
Caitlyn Clark's phenomenal run in the WNBA and her quick turnaround from college to professional basketball.
The lack of an offseason for players like Clark, who transition directly from the college championship to WNBA games.
The perception of animosity or dislike towards Clark from older players in the league.
Comparison of Clark's experience to the speaker's own experience of joining the NBA and facing skepticism from teammates.
The speaker's advice to Clark and others with high expectations to focus on hard work and learning from veterans.
The impact of Clark's presence on the WNBA, including the league's first chartered plane flight.
The speaker's defense of Clark against criticism, emphasizing the importance of team dynamics in basketball.
The speaker's personal connection to the topic, as his son is also facing animosity as a young athlete.
Reflection on the rarity and value of achieving one's dream to play professional sports.
The speaker's hope for Clark's success and her ability to turn around her franchise.
A quote from Paul Silas about the speaker's teammates' initial dislike of him, highlighting the challenges of joining a team with high expectations.
An anecdote about a teammate's prediction of the speaker's performance in the NBA, which turned out to be incorrect.
The importance of not getting involved in negative discussions and focusing on enjoying the game.
The speaker's encouragement for young athletes like Aaliyah Boston and his hope for their success.
The call to celebrate achievements in sports, such as the WNBA's first chartered flight, rather than focusing on negativity.
The closing remarks of the podcast, inviting listeners to subscribe for more content.
Transcripts
you know we we want to talk about sort
of all things basketball and uh Caitlyn
Clark uh phenomenal run I saw her the
other night by the way I saw her the
other night in Indie uh after her I
think it was her second game or third
game but it was the first game against
Liberty they played Liberty Thursday and
they were back here in New York on
Saturday I saw after the Thursday game
uh very briefly and um you know she was
just talking about uh the quick
turnaround which I find to be insane
that they go through this season that
starts basically in September uh they
have all their preseason practices games
she does the tournament gets the
national championship game and then like
within a month she's playing in real
WNBA games there's no real offseason for
her um but the the the thing I wanted to
bring up was just
uh I don't want to call it hatred but it
it's there's definitely like a like a
dislike or
trial yeah coming her way towards older
players and look I think we all
experienced that to some degree when we
first got in the NBA your opponents your
your opponents are not wrapping their
arms around around you I I I I had that
to a small extent I was the cocky white
kid from duke right you know I feel like
sometimes my teammates hated me
um how did
you process that how did you go through
that at a young age coming into the NBA
with where the people could have been
your teammates could have been the
people you were competing against they
weren't celebrating you no not at all
they wanted to kick your ass absolutely
absolutely I
mean my teammates for sure um there's
video evidence of my teammates basically
saying
like he's not ready or there's somebody
playing his position or we're not
putting all our faith in the 18-year-old
kid or you know all this hype we've been
here all you know so my own teammates
that I had to like be on the floor with
practicing with on the planes with you
know in the locker room in game
situations was kind of you know just had
this kind of like you said you want to
say hate but just like animosity like
towards uh towards me and and you know
and and what I could provide um and I
didn't even come in with that I didn't
come in I came in with the narrative but
I didn't come in with that type of Aura
I just wanted to come in and learn from
the vets and then put you know put the
work in so I think for for my advice to
Caitlyn um and my advice to anyone that
comes in with this you know this level
of like
notoriety you know out of this world
expectation you know whatever the case
maybe I just think just you know it's
all about having you know be a horse man
you know the Kentucky Derby put your
blinders on go to work show up to work
punch your clock in prepare yourself
work on your game work on your craft you
know kind of keep your mouth shut you
know and just learn from the Vets when
they ask you voice your opinion if if
they want your opinion man early on
because everybody is looking for you to
say anything and they're gon to splice
it and cut it and make it a negative
thing like and I think for her the one
thing that I love that she's bringing to
her
sport more people want to watch more
people want to tune in I saw for the
first time that they had they had a
chartered plane for the first time in
their league history you know they flew
private that should be celebrated in his
own right from anyone that's you know in
sports that's flown commercial or
flowing you know Charter that should be
celebrated and it's because of Caitlyn
Clark don't get it twisted don't get it
[Β __Β ] up Caitlyn Clark is the reason
why a lot of great things is going to
happen for the
WNBA um but for her individually I don't
think she should get involved on nothing
that's being said just go have fun enjoy
um people need to realize the Indiana
Fever this is the second year in a row
they had the number one pick so do y'all
know what that mean that mean they're
not that
good they had backtack years as the
number one Pi why why are you a hater on
the fever man I am I am a realist like
cuz not only like I get like people are
just like crazy about why she should be
doing this and they should be doing that
if she's so great this team like it's
still a team game people it is still a
team game and you know but I I'm roote
for Kaitlin because I've been in that
seat before I've walked that road before
I hope they I hope she kills I hope
Aaliyah Boston does amazing you know I
hope they do great you know I'm just
kind of in this mode right now because
I'm getting the same you know thing from
watching my son who's a 19yearold kind
of getting a lot of animosity and hat
towards him when he's just a kid trying
to live out his dream you know there's a
very small number of men and women that
actually get to live out their dream of
playing the professional sport and we
have grown ass men and women out here
doing whatever they can to try to make
sure that does not happen that is the
weirdest thing in the world but it is
what it is and I'm glad that Caitlyn has
a great head on her shoulder she seems
like it I I don't even I don't think
I've ever met her um I don't think I've
met her before but it seems like
everything um it's going to be great for
her because she's a great talent she
seems like a great gal and uh I hope she
turns that franchise around to where um
you know tamaa catchin had it at one
point um couple things to to finish up
here I just wanted you you brought up
the thing with your teammates and uh
there's a I found this quote I don't
know why did this but it was a while ago
it was for the old man of the three I
can't remember who we were interviewing
but I found a quote by Paul silus or
like Paul who was your head coach was
talking about how your teammates hated
you so I thought that was interesting
and the other thing I was goingon to say
is like right after your summer league
was in Boston right I played in Boston
and Orlando yep okay you played Boston
Orlando so it was after Boston MH uh I
saw one of your teammates I'm not going
to name names so y f and he wasn't he
wasn't negative he wasn't negative but I
just this has been like in my brain for
the last like 20 years he said um I said
yo how's uh how's how how was LeBron
like what do you think of him and he
said uh yeah man he can really pass you
know really knows the game um he's like
he's going to make other guys better um
but like I don't I think he's going to
struggle to score I don't I don't think
he's going to score
meanwhile 40,000 points
later great take that was a great take
he was he was spot on great
take hey guys thanks for listening
thanks for watching mind the game
podcast if you like it please hit that
subscribe button thank you
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