Is LeBron James' support for Caitlin Clark all pretence? Ex-ESPN analyst theorises Lakers star's ulterior motive

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's basketball rivalry flourished at Friday night's final Indiana Fever vs. Chicago Sky matchup. Some fouls spiced things up, but Indiana ultimately conquered the contest in the 3-1 series with a 100-81 win over Chicago. Clark scored her career-high 31 points and 12 assists, and one of the loudest cheers in her support came from LeBron James' side.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has backed the standout WNBA rookie since the beginning of her 2024 regular season. However, a former ESPN analyst now has reason to believe that the NBA great is merely faking his support for the Iowa player, with an ulterior motive fuelling his words for her.

Clark has consistently shattered records in the big league. Her Friday night performance against Chicago Sky had her writing yet another WNBA history. She is now the first player in the women's league to have scored at least 25 points and 10 assists in three games.

James quickly came to her side and applauded her marvellous performance on social media. “CAITLIN CLARK! HI, HATERS!” he wrote on X/Twitter after the game.

Former ESPN analyst rubbished LeBron James' supposed feigned support for Caitlin Clark

However, this gesture didn't sit well with ex-ESPN analyst Jason Whitlock, who believes James doesn't “sincerely” like Clark. Questioning his trust issues with the NBA star's actions, the internet personality termed them symptoms of his self-proclaimed “LeBron Derangement Syndrome.”

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He even accused the gold-winning Olympian of “riding” Clark's wave for personal gain.

“Does he want to be in commercials with her and ride her wave?”

“Yes.”

After answering his question, the ESPN alumni said, “LeBron is a race idolator pretending he likes CC. CC is gonna sell more Nikes than LeBron. He knows it. She's going to be a bigger icon than LeBron. He wants to pretend he supported/blessed her rise.”

In May, James ascertained that Clark was an excellent asset for the sport at large. Per Deadline, the NBA legend said: “The one thing that I love that she’s bringing to her sport — more people want to watch. More people want to tune in. I saw, for the first time, they had a chartered plane. For the first time in their league history, they flew private. That should be celebrated in its own right.”

Contrary to his advice to Clark about keeping “her distance from LeBron,” Whitlock pushed her to build an alliance with Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes instead. In the same breath, he also admitted the potential impossibility of the feat as Mahomes is signed to Adidas, Nike's rival.

So, given her reported ground-breaking $28 million eight-year-long Nike deal, who should CC partner with? Whitlock's answer was Michael Jordan. Nevertheless, he still suggested her aligning with Mahomes publicly, owing to her “No. 1 Chiefs fan” status.

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Caitlin Clark's Kansas City Chiefs connection

The 22-year-old University of Iowa basketball superstar grew up in a family full of Chiefs fans and always looked forward to Sundays, which were reserved for the fam's Chiefs games hangout sessions. “That’s what I really looked forward to most on Sundays … we would be watching the Chiefs,” she has said. “… and I would be upset if they lost and I still am. Like every Sunday that’s what (is) usually the brightest part of my day is turning on the TV and watching the Chiefs,” she said earlier this year, per KansasCity.com's report.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes also gave her a sign of approval. Gushing about Clark, he said: “She is just a tremendous player and tremendous person. I've met with her and talked. You can tell she loves the game.” He even applauded her as “one of the best women’s basketball, one of the best college basketball players to ever play” before her WNBA days.

Jason Whitlock's rants against basketball players

This isn't the first time Jason Whitlock has spewed vitriol against James. In May 2024, he released a video titled “LeBron James & the Lakers Need a Divorce, Drafting Bronny Can’t Save Their Bad Marriage” on his YouTube channel. Additionally, he called out the Lakers legend for being one of the most “narcissistic,” “egotistical” and “entitled” athletes in sports history. The unwarranted rant continued with him mocking his son, Bronny, as a “Make-A-Wish” sideshow, reducing his draft to his father's presence in the Lakers.

Now, with Blaze Media, Whitlock was with ESPN until 2015. His enraged fury seeped into the WNBA in June as he slammed Clark's rival Angel Reese as the “most overrated athlete.”

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