Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark continues to be one of the most impactful players in the WNBA. On Tuesday, June 9, TIME Magazine announced that Clark has been named as one of the 100 most influential figures in sports for 2026. This honor stems from Clark’s innate ability to draw crowds with her flashy play style and three-point shooting prowess, as she is now considered to be one of the best women’s hoops players in the world.
In celebration of this, Fever general manager Amber Cox
reposted the team’s official announcement post on X/Twitter. Cox then took a page out of former WNBA player and current sports analyst Chiney Ogwumike’s statement. Back in early 2025, Ogwumike went viral for her assertive praise of Clark in an episode of ESPN’s First Take. In her statement, Ogwumike claimed Clark is the WNBA’s needle, which Cox echoed.
“To paraphrase
@chiney… She didn’t move the needle. She IS the needle! Congrats to CC!,” Cox exclaimed.
– Amber Cox, September 8, 2026
Clark is back and fully healthy in her third season in the WNBA after an injury-ridiculed 2025 campaign. Last season, the spitfire scorer was limited to just 13 games after she reaggravated her groin injury. This time around, Clark has led the Fever to an overall record of 6-5 so far, and is aiming for a deep run in the postseason later on.
Chiney Ogwumike explained why Caitlin Clark is the needle of the WNBA
In Chiney Ogwumike’s aforementioned
statement, she backed up her claim with statistics that show how Caitlin Clark has tremendously boosted the popularity of the WNBA. Instead of helping the cause, Ogwumike asserted that Clark is actually leading the league’s growth through the exposure she brings with the said statistics.
“ A lot of people say that Caitlin Clark moves the needle. That is wrong. She is the needle. She dictates. We all know what she’s done on the floor, it’s history, right? But off the floor, my goodness, she and the Indiana Fever accounted for 45% of all the broadcast value of the WNBA last season. She accounted also for helping drive the numbers of merchandising up, up 500%. Of course, her jersey was number one,” Ogwumike said. (0:00)
Read More:
“Please Trade Amber Cox, Stephanie White”: Fever Fans Disgruntled With Caitlin Clark’s Supporting Cast Boasting 7 Other Guards
Fever GM Amber Cox rubs salt into stinging Caitlin Clark fans’ wounds with untimely message
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