Sports

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

Published

2 years ago

February 22, 2024

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.

“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.

“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

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.

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

Required reading

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

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Sports

Craig Morton, quarterback who led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance, dead at 83

Published

3 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Press Room

Craig Morton, quarterback who led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance, dead at 83

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Former Denver Broncos quarterback Craig Morton, who was inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame, died on Saturday. He was 83.

Morton was critical in helping the Broncos reach their first-ever playoff appearance, ultimately getting them to Super Bowl XII during the 1977 campaign.

After going 12-2 during the season, and getting wins in the playoffs over the Pittsburgh Steelers and then-Oakland Raiders, Morton was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Year.

Denver Broncos quarterback Craig Morton stands on the sidelines with both hands on his hips. (GETTY)

“Craig Morton is unbelievable,” fellow Ring of Famer Haven Moses said after the Broncos won the AFC Championship in 1978, per the New York Times. “To me, he’s the most valuable player in the National Football League.”

Morton also won Sporting News Player of the Year, the PFWA Comeback Player of the Year and the NFL UPI MVP in 1977.

AARON RODGERS NEVER MET WITH STEELERS DESPITE RUMOR-FILLED WEEKEND AS QB’S DECISION REMAINS UP IN AIR

“We are saddened to learn of the passing of #BroncosROF quarterback Craig Morton, who died on Saturday at the age of 83,” the Broncos posted on social media.

Morton also led the Broncos to two different division titles and three playoff berths during his six seasons with the franchise. He finished his career in Denver with 11,895 passing yards, which marked the most in franchise history at the time.

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Quarterback Craig Morton #7 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during an NFL game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo., circa 1978. Morton played for the Broncos from 1977 to 1982. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)

Morton also led the Broncos with pass attempts (1,594) and completions (907). But Morton’s time with the Broncos was the latter half of his NFL career.

He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1965, the fifth overall pick out of Cal. Morton spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Cowboys, where he threw for 10,279 yards with 80 touchdowns and 73 interceptions. He went 32-14-1 in his time with Dallas.

Then, during the 1974 season, Morton was moved to the New York Giants, a division rival of the Cowboys. He went 1-6 in his first seven starts that year and wouldn’t find much success in New York across three seasons.

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For his career, Morton threw for 27,908 yards with 183 touchdowns. He owned an 81-62-1 record across 207 games.

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

High school boys volleyball: City Section playoff scores and pairings

Published

4 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Press Room

CITY SECTION

MONDAY’S RESULTS

QUARTERFINALS

DIVISION III

#1 New West Charter d. #9 Central City Value, 25-17, 16-25, 25-10, 17-25, 15-13

#13 Birmingham d. #5 University Prep Value, 3-1

#3 South East d. #11 Monroe, 25-16, 25-19, 26-28, 25-16

#2 Legacy d. #7 Lincoln, 17-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-20

DIVISION IV

#8 Annenberg d. #17 Canoga Park, 26-24, 25-19, 22-25, 25-27, 15-13

#4 Math & Science College Prep d. #12 Mendez, 25-15, 25-17, 25-20

#6 King Drew at #3 Manual Arts

7 Maywood CES d. #2 RFK Community, 25-12, 25-21, 25-22

DIVISION V

#1 WISH Academy d. #9 Alliance Levine, 25-19, 25-12, 25-23

#13 Rancho Dominguez d. #21 LAAAE, 25016, 25-20, 25-15

#14 Franklin d. #6 Gardena, 25-15, 25-22, 25-17

#10 Animo De La Hoya d. #15 Sotomayor, 28-30, 25-23, 25-20, 25-23

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Matches at 7 p.m. unless noted)

SEMIFINALS

OPEN DIVISION

#4 Venice at #1 Granada Hills

#3 Chatsworth at #2 Palisades

DIVISION I

#4 North Hollywood at #1 Taft

#3 Cleveland at #2 Sylmar

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Matches at 7 p.m. unless noted)

SEMIFINALS

DIVISION II

#4 Marquez at #1 LA Hamilton

#7 Panorama at #6 Narbonne

DIVISON III

#13 Birmingham at #1 New West Charter

#3 South East at #2 Legacy

DIVISION IV

#8 Annenberg at #4 Math & Science College Prep

#7 Maywood Academy at #3 Manual Arts or #6 King/Drew

DIVISION V

#13 Rancho Dominguez at #1 WISH Academy

#14 Franklin at #10 Animo De La Hoya

Note: Finals in all divisions May-16 (sites and times TBA).

Sports

2025-26 NBA Playoff Odds: Spreads, Lines for Second-Round Series

Published

15 hours ago

May 11, 2026

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2025-26 NBA Playoff Odds: Spreads, Lines for Second-Round Series

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Now the NBA playoffs are in the swing of things.

Let’s check out the odds for the second round of the playoffs, at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 11.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

EAST SECOND ROUND

No. 7 PHILADELPHIA vs. No. 3 NEW YORK
NYK wins 4-0

No. 4 CLEVELAND (+200) vs. No. 1 DETROIT (-250)
DET leads 2-1

GAME 4 — DET @ CLE (May 11)

Spread: Cavs -3.5
Moneyline: Pistons +140, Cavs -166
O/U: 213.5

What to know: This has been a weird series. Each team has yet to lose on its home court, and the games haven’t seen much domination on either side. Take Game 3 for example: Cleveland held Detroit to 18 points in the second quarter and took a 16-point lead into halftime. Then, in the third quarter, the Pistons held the Cavs to 19 points, cutting that deficit to two heading into the fourth. But Cleveland put together its highest-scoring quarter of the game in the final frame to emerge with a seven-point win.

WEST SECOND ROUND

No. 4 LOS ANGELES (+7000) vs. No. 1 OKLAHOMA CITY (-20000)
OKC leads 3-0

GAME 4 — OKC @ LAL (May 11)

Spread: Thunder -11.5
Moneyline: Thunder -520, Lakers +390
O/U: 214.5

What to know: It appears the Lakers just don’t have the firepower to compete with the Thunder. OKC has won the first three games of the series by a combined 59 points (19.7 points per game), including a 23-point win in Game 3 in Los Angeles. And consider this: SGA is averaging just 21 points per game on 46% shooting. The Thunder are stacked, and sit at 7-0 in the postseason so far.

No. 6 MINNESOTA (+320) vs. No. 3 SAN ANTONIO (-390)
Tied 2-2

GAME 5 — MIN @ SAS (May 12)

Spread: Spurs -10.5
Moneyline: Spurs -410, Wolves +320
O/U: 218.5

What to know: We’ve got a series on our hands. Now tied at 2-2, both of these teams have won once at home and once on the other team’s home floor, with the Wolves winning a crucial Game 4 in Minnesota. But that wasn’t the story of the night. Victor Wembanyama was assessed a Flagrant 2 in the first half of Game 4, and was ejected from the game, after hitting Naz Reid with a vicious elbow to the head. He will play Game 5, but how chippy might things be after that?