Women's Fastbreak On SI

Caitlin Clark appears to co-sign LeBron James’ defiant message

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark sided with LeBron James once again.
Grant Young|
Jan 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) wears a patch affixed to the upper right chest to celebrate his record-setting 23rd NBA season during the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Jan 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) wears a patch affixed to the upper right chest to celebrate his record-setting 23rd NBA season during the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers superstar and arguably NBA GOAT LeBron James is still producing at the highest level, despite it being his record-setting 23rd NBA season.

There's still no clear indication of when LeBron will decide to hang up the sneakers for good. The 41-year-old gets rest days whenever he needs them, is playing fewer minutes per game (33.2) than he ever has in his career before this point, and his 22.4 points per game serve as proof that he's still capable of making a major impact on the court. So why would he retire if he's still enjoying it?

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts on January 15, 2025
Jan 12, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after the Sacramento Kings made a three point basket in the third quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

It's no secret that Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has an affinity for LeBron. The two Nike athletes have shared several messages of mutual admiration for each other in the past, including when Clark returned to the court against the New York Liberty on June 14 after missing 19 days and five games because of a left quad strain she suffered last month.

"The CC EFFECT!! WELCOME BACK! You were missed!" James said in an X post after the Fever secured a 102-88 win over the Liberty, which marked the first loss of New York's season to that point. Clark finished the game with 32 points on 11 of 20 shooting from the field (including 7 of 15 from three-point range) to go along with 9 assists and 8 rebounds in 31 minutes played.

That post went supremely viral, amassing over 7.5 million views, and served as the perfect reminder that No. 22 had made her return.

Of course, Clark ended up missing much of the season after that because of other injuries. But there's no need to dwell on the past.

Caitlin Clark shows support for LeBron James' telling message

On January 15, Clark returned the favor of James' support. The Lakers star made an Instagram post showing several photos of him competing during a recent game against the Atlanta Hawks. The post was captioned, "No matter if you LOVE or HATE me you will REMEMBER me 👑".

Clark posted this to her Instagram story shortly after, which was her means of co-signing this message from King James.

One would imagine that LeBron will get back to supporting Clark once the 2026 WNBA season begins. It will be fascinating to see how far a healthy and hungry Clark can take the Indiana Fever this year, given what they were able to accomplish with her sidelined last season.

Recommended Reading:

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

Share on XFollow GrvntYoung
Home/News