The Caitlin Clark show is back on the WNBA court, and ESPN was there on Sunday as the Indiana Fever star made her return to the University of Iowa campus in an anticipated matchup with the Brazilian women’s national basketball squad.
Clark and the Fever predictably made easy work of Team Brazil in the exhibition game, but the headline of the match (aside from ticket prices) came on the ESPN broadcast in a conversation between Clark and Brazilian head coach Leo Figueiro.
With Clark mic’d up for the game, ESPN caught Figueiro telling the reigning Rookie of the Year that she “changed history in basketball,” and her humble sidestep.
“You’re an amazing player,” Figueiro told Clark. “Congratulations. You’ve changed changed the history in basketball.”
Clark thanked him before confirming with a smile that Carver-Hawkeye Arena was the biggest place Figueiro and his team had ever played.
Caitlin exchange with the Brazil coach
“You’re an amazing player congratulations. you’ve changed changed the history in basketball”
“I appreciate it thanks for coming here. most people you’ve played in front of?”
“Yeah” 😭 pic.twitter.com/T4oGGVHOQO
— correlation (@nosyone4) May 4, 2025
Moments like these show just how absurd the conversation about Caitlin Clark among fans and media has become compared with what actually happens on the court with her competitors. Whether it’s Figueiro or Dawn Staley or Clark’s teammates, the temperature is far lower among the people around Clark and who have competed against her than the polarized headlines and soundbites we all see day to day.
This simple clip shows the mutual respect Clark has with other figures in women’s basketball, and the way she handles her business is far more reserved than the frenzy that has followed her since 2023.
