Clark’s Fever collapsed in a road loss to the Chicago Sky.

Caitlin Clark responds strongly to criticism that once plagued LeBron James

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever had a big lead over Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on Sunday. The two rookie stars — whose NCAA rivalry has carried over to the WNBA — were showing out in an important regular season game at Wintrust Arena, and Clark was dishing dimes left and right as Indiana took a 15-point lead in the third quarter.

But Clark was quieter in the fourth, attempting just two shots over the final seven minutes as the Sky mounted a comeback and stunned the Fever. Reese’s monster day (25 points, 16 rebounds) led Chicago to a one-point win, 88-87, and Clark was criticized after the game for being too deferential to her teammates in crunch time.

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Clark makes it clear: She will keep trusting her teammates

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Early in his NBA career, LeBron James was often denigrated by fans and media members for being “too passive” late in games when his team needed something close to a guaranteed bucket. James has always been a willing passer, and fans usually found fault with the NBA’s all-time leading scorer when it was perceived that he had shifted to a “pass-first” mindset in order to get his teammates going.

Clark is dealing with much of the same criticism, 18 games into her WNBA career. She scored efficiently against the Sky on Sunday, drilling five 3-pointers and scoring 17 points on 11 shots. She also racked up 13 assists — a new personal best — despite the loss, but turnovers and miscommunication with her teammates sparked the Sky’s comeback.

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“I’m sure there was an opportunity or two for me to probably attempt another shot there at the end, but I trust my teammates,” Clark told reporters after Sunday’s game. “I’m going to give them the ball every time.”

For James, much of the criticism about his mentality went away after he won his first two championships with the Miami Heat. He is now a four-time NBA champion, and widely regarded as one of the very best basketball players in history. Only time will tell whether Clark’s path will be similar, but individually, she is improving and understanding her team’s needs better with each passing game (no pun intended).