Key Takeaways
- Caitlin Clark says she was shocked LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers, joking that she tried to recruit him to her hometown Indiana Pacers.
- She admits she was "selfishly" hoping he'd join the Golden State Warriors to team up with Stephen Curry, calling that potential pairing "absolutely insane."
- Clark now sees the 76ers as one of the Eastern Conference favorites alongside the Knicks and Pacers, says she’ll watch more Philly games, and plans to secure tickets when the 76ers visit Indiana.
Caitlin Clark has admitted she was just as surprised as the rest of the basketball world when LeBron James chose to join the Philadelphia 76ers.
Speaking to reporters during WNBA All-Star Weekend, the Indiana Fever star joked that she tried to recruit James to the Indiana Pacers before sharing the team she actually hoped he'd join.
"No way. I just pitched him for the Pacers, they didn't get to him fast enough," Clark said with a laugh. "The 76ers? Wow."
While Clark joked about wanting James in Indiana, she admitted there was another move she thought would have been even more exciting. "Selfishly, I wanted the Warriors because Steph and Bron would have been absolutely insane together," she said.
Instead, James' decision to head to Philadelphia has only strengthened what was already expected to be a loaded Eastern Conference. "But they have some serious talent on the 76ers," Clark continued. "Arguably maybe one of the favorites in the East now with the Knicks and obviously my Pacers."
Clark acknowledged she was caught off guard by the decision, saying she believed James would return to one of two familiar franchises instead. "But wow, I thought he was either gonna go Miami or Cleveland. That's really shocking," she said.
Despite her surprise, Clark said her admiration for James hasn't changed regardless of the jersey he wears, adding: "I'll be watching more 76ers games and obviously I'm a big fan of Bron, so no matter where he was going to go I was going to cheer for that team and root for them."
As a longtime Pacers supporter, Clark is already looking ahead to seeing James in person when Philadelphia visits Indianapolis.
"I'm going to wait for the NBA schedule to come out and make sure I have my tickets reserved for when the 76ers play the Pacers because those are always hard to get," she said. "I'm happy for him."
