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Sue Bird: Caitlin Clark can be an All-Star next year

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Sue Bird: Caitlin Clark can be an All-Star next year

Caitlin Clark’s transcendent play, from her logo 3-point shooting to her unique skills as a “get ahead” passer, has captivated basketball fans from Maine to California. A question that often arises is how will her game translate to the next level. In a wide-ranging 60-minute interview that will air in full Thursday on the “Sports Media Podcast,” WNBA legend Sue Bird said Clark can be a WNBA All-Star in her first year.

“I think if she plays up to her potential, yes, that’s realistic,” Bird said. “And, by the way, that’s not a knock on anyone in the WNBA. It’s going to be hard, but I think she can do it. You do have to see what happens when they get there. You are now playing against adults and this is their career. But I do think she has a chance at having a lot of success early, and I think a lot of it comes down to her long-distance shooting. That is her separator. You’re not really used to guarding people out there.”

Bird went on to say that the era Clark is stepping into helps complement her style of play. Another WNBA legend, Diana Taurasi, “could have been playing the way Caitlin is playing right now,” Bird said, but did not come of age in an era to play the way Clark plays today.

Players in the WNBA just aren’t used to guarding shooters that far, Bird said. Bird retired in 2022 after a 20-year WNBA career.

Clark has the option to return to Iowa next year due to the extra year of eligibility thanks to an NCAA waiver for student-athletes affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But if she opts to go pro and is selected by the Indiana Fever with the No. 1 pick, “that is a really good roster for her,” Bird said.

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“She’s going to be teaming up with right out the gate with two really good post players (Aliyah Boston and NaLyssa Smith) that are going to complement her,” Bird continued. “There is precedent for people coming out of college and coming in and playing amazing, players such as Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi and others. But she still has to come in and do it and there’ll be some growing pains just like all those players I just listed had.”

GO DEEPER

Caitlin Clark’s journey to 3,528 points: The Iowa star’s greatest highlights of the past 4 seasons

Bird spent time with Clark last December in Iowa City as part of an episode of her ESPN+ Original series,“Sue’s Places,” a 10-episode college basketball travelogue produced alongside Omaha Productions and Words + Pictures that features Bird darting across the country to learn about the history and traditions of college basketball. (The Clark episode ran on Feb. 14.). The fourth-ranked Hawkeyes will next play at No. 14 Indiana on Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, Peacock).

Asked why Clark had captured the imagination of the broader basketball public during her time at Iowa, Bird said it was a combination of her long-distance shooting and being one of the faces of women’s college basketball during such an ascendent time.

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“There are two that stand out the most with her, and let’s start with her long-distance shooting,” Bird said. “The one thing that cancels out people’s obsession with dunking as it relates to the comparison between men’s and women’s basketball is deep shooting. If we want to call it the logo 3, let’s call it that. For whatever reason, men in particular, they don’t hate on it. There’s nothing to hate on because it is what it is. So I think that part of her game lends to people cheering for it. I think it’s also captivating, right? The way that she plays with the long-distance shooting, it’s captivating. Everybody’s interested in it. So that’s one part of it.”

Bird added: “I think the other part is that women’s basketball is having a moment and that moment needed somebody to team up with it. So Caitlin, based on just the year in which she was born and doing what she is doing in college right now, is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this moment. There are other players right now in college basketball where you can feel excitement. JuJu Watkins is killing it at USC and could arguably end up being one of the best players ever. I’m not saying that loosely; it’s because of the way she is starting her career.”

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Caitlin Clark’s scoring record makes her historic. Her greatness makes her unmatched

Clark’s decision about whether to leave Iowa has become a major debate in sports media and among sports fans. Recently, former WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes discussed that potential rookies like Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese will take time to develop in the WNBA because it’s a veteran-heavy league.

When asked what she would do if she were Clark, Bird did not hesitate.

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“If I am Caitlin Clark, I am coming out of college,” Bird said.

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(Photo: Morgan Engel / NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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NFL fans upset as Eagles benefit from early whistle on tush push vs Giants

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NFL fans upset as Eagles benefit from early whistle on tush push vs Giants

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The Philadelphia Eagles took the lead in the second quarter against the New York Giants on Sunday following a controversial call on the notorious tush push play.

The Eagles had the ball on 4th-and-1 with Jalen Hurts under center. He had his teammates behind him to push him across the first down marker to keep the ball. As he was getting pushed forward, Giants pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux ripped the ball out of Hurts’ hands.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, right, hands off to Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) who runs for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia.  (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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It appeared the Giants were going to get the ball back. But as the team was celebrating, the officials on the field blew the play dead and gave Philadelphia the first down. Head referee Brad Rodgers explained afterward the officials ruled that Hurts’ forward progress was stopped.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll was irate on the sidelines.

Two plays later, Hurts tossed the ball to Saquon Barkley for a touchdown that helped Philadelphia go up 14-7. It was Barkley’s second touchdown of the game.

Saquon Barkley jumps into the end zone

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley scores a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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NFL fans, already fed up with the tush push and how it’s being officiated, were upset with the most recent incident.

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In the last meeting between the two teams, the Eagles ran the tush push four straight times in one of their touchdown drives. New York ended up winning that game earlier this month.

Brian Daboll at the podium

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll responds to questions after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Denver.  (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

NFL owners have been under pressure to ban the play. It survived a vote that would have prohibited the call during the offseason. It’s expected to be revisited next year.

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Would MLB make Arte Moreno sell Angels in wake of Tyler Skaggs trial?

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Would MLB make Arte Moreno sell Angels in wake of Tyler Skaggs trial?

As the trial about whether the Angels should be held at least partially liable for the death of Tyler Skaggs enters its third week, major league officials are closely monitoring the proceedings.

The trial is scheduled to last several more weeks, and it would be premature for the league to determine what action it might take against the Angels — if any — until all evidence is revealed in court and a verdict or a settlement is reached.

However, it is considered highly unlikely that the league would compel Angels owner Arte Moreno to sell the team.

Consideration of any action probably would be deferred until the league could conduct its own investigation and until a jury verdict, if there is one, is fully reviewed by an appeals court.

The Skaggs family is seeking $785 million in damages, as first reported by the Athletic, based on the allegation the Angels knew or should have known that former staffer Eric Kay was using illegal drugs, including the pills he provided to Skaggs on the night the pitcher died in 2019. The Angels deny the allegations.

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The jury would not have to decide whether to award all of that money or none of it. The jury first would have to determine who was liable: the Angels, Kay, Skaggs and any other parties. Then the jury would decide what percentage of liability each of those parties should assume and what the financial compensation should be.

As an example, a jury could decide the damages should be $210 million — the amount the family listed as a minimum in a court filing — and the Angels should be held one-third responsible. Under that example, they would be assessed $70 million.

In 1943, Philadelphia Phillies owner William Cox was banned for life for betting on baseball.

If history is any indication, if the league believes an owner merits discipline, an owner would be more likely to be suspended than banned. In 1993, Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott was suspended one year for racist and insensitive comments.

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was suspended three times: two years for illegal contributions to President Nixon’s 1972 campaign; one week after publicly criticizing umpires; and two years and five months for paying a gambler to dig up disparaging information on All-Star outfielder Dave Winfield. That last suspension originally was announced as a lifetime ban; Steinbrenner was later reinstated.

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Kay, who provided Skaggs with counterfeit oxycodone pills that were laced with fentanyl, is serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison. Skaggs died in his hotel room in Texas of asphyxiation, according to an autopsy, choking on his own vomit while under the influence of oxycodone, fentanyl and alcohol.

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Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell defends choice to keep Carson Wentz in blowout loss for prolonged period

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Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell defends choice to keep Carson Wentz in blowout loss for prolonged period

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The Los Angeles Chargers dominated the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night. The 37-10 defeat dropped the Vikings’ record to 3-4. 

But much of the postgame chatter focused on coach Kevin O’Connell’s decision not to pull quarterback Carson Wentz from the blowout. 

Wentz was dealing with some discomfort in his non-throwing shoulder. He was sacked five times on Thursday, which appeared to further aggravate the shoulder he was already nursing. The shoulder issue, coupled with the scoreboard, raised concerns about keeping the veteran quarterback on the field longer than many perceived as necessary.

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Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell interacts with Carson Wentz (11) on the sideline during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

Wentz was noticeably grimacing throughout the majority of the game.  

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After the game, O’Connell explained his decision to stick with Wentz for most of the game.

“We kept on checking in [with Wentz],” the coach told reporters. “Maybe getting Max [Brosmer] ready to go. Tyler [vice president of player health and performance, Tyler Williams] was coming to me a lot tonight, but every time he seemed to update me on that. Carson was sore going into it. He took obviously quite a few hits—but he was able to—I asked him multiple times where he was at and he said he was good and wanted to keep going.”

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Carson Wentz looks to pass

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)

“It did seem like he was in pain there a couple times.”

J.J. McCarthy was inactive Thursday. The second-year quarterback started the first two games of the season but has been sidelined since then with an ankle injury. 

Kevin O'Connell looks on during a game

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell during the second half at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 23, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Gary A. Vasquez/Imagn Images)

O’Connell did note that McCarthy would return to the starting lineup against the Detroit Lions in Week 9 if he is fully recovered, the NFL Network reported.

Game cameras showed Wentz slamming his helmet on the Vikings’ sideline out of apparent frustration. Wentz later made it clear that the injury ultimately did not hamper his throwing ability. 

“I don’t think so,” Wentz said. “I don’t think throwing wise. That’s honestly why I felt confident to go. I felt I could do my job. I thought I could throw the ball. Thankfully, you don’t need your left shoulder all that much to throw the football. So mechanically, throwing wise, I felt like I could do everything I needed to do.”

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Reserve quarterback Max Brosmer briefly entered Thursday’s contest, completing three of his four pass attempts in the fourth quarter.

O’Connell acknowledged that he had considered inserting the rookie signal-caller earlier in the game.

“Yeah we did,” O’Connell said. “Carson’s a veteran player. He understands, kind of, some of our circumstances tonight. I think it’s very difficult to ask a rookie to go in there for his first performance and have to be kind of weathering it a little bit for the group.

“I did think about that at different times in the game but at the same time, the confidence we have in Max and the upside we see in Max is real. You also don’t want to send him out there and force a level of figure-it-outness that’s probably beyond a guy playing for the first time.”

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The Vikings have now dropped back-to-back games.

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