Caitlin Clark didn’t need much time to react once the news broke that LeBron James had chosen the Philadelphia 76ers.
She was in the middle of answering questions during WNBA All-Star Weekend when the announcement landed, and her response came fast. Clark gasped, then blurted out, "No way!"
She said she had just tried to recruit James to the Indiana Pacers, adding that her pitch clearly didn’t get to him in time. When she confirmed he was headed to Philadelphia, all she could manage was a stunned, "Wow."
After the shock wore off, Clark made it clear where her preference had been. "Selfishly," she said, she wanted James to land with the Warriors because "Steph and Bron would have been absolutely insane together." Instead, she sees the Sixers as a team with plenty of firepower, saying Philadelphia "has some serious talent."
Clark also wasted no time sizing up what the move means in the East. In her view, the 76ers now belong in the same conversation as the top teams in the conference, alongside the reigning champion New York Knicks and her Pacers.
"Arguably, [they're] maybe one of the favorites in the East now with the Knicks, and obviously my Pacers."
Even with the surprise, Clark said she thought James would end up back with one of his former teams, either the Miami Heat or the Cleveland Cavaliers, which made the Philadelphia decision "really shocking." Still, she said it only gives her another team to follow this season, and as one of James’ biggest fans, she plans to root for whichever club he joins in free agency.
That means she’ll also be watching the schedule closely. Clark joked that she needs to find out when the 76ers are coming to Indianapolis so she can get tickets before they’re gone, a nod to how hard it can be to get into LeBron games.
Clark has already had one of those moments up close. Last season, she worked as a photographer during James’ lone appearance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, sitting courtside for the first half and taking dozens of photos, including several of the four-time NBA champion.
The connection between Clark and James has only grown as her own profile has exploded. The Indiana Fever made her the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and after her record-breaking run at Iowa, she arrived in the pros with a spotlight that followed her everywhere. At 22, she’s had to handle that attention quickly, and James is one of the few people who understands what that kind of pressure feels like.
Clark admired James long before she became a household name, and James has repeatedly praised her publicly, defended her when criticism has piled up, and supported her through the early part of her career. That mutual respect is part of why her reaction carried so much weight.
Her ties to Indiana matter too. Fever and Pacers fans overlap heavily, and while many in the state respect James’ greatness, they won’t hesitate to root against him if he’s standing in the way of an Indiana team.
And if the Pacers and 76ers cross paths in the postseason, James could run into another familiar obstacle: Clark herself. Indiana is a perfect 8-0 in playoff games she has attended over the last two postseason runs, turning her into one of the franchise’s most unexpected good-luck charms.
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