Women's Fastbreak On SI

Caitlin Clark Nearly Gets Unanimous 'WNBA Franchise Player' Pick by NBA Rising Stars

Indiana Fever icon Caitlin Clark is held in high regard from the NBA's rising stars.
Grant Young|
Caitlin Clark speaks to the media before the Iowa women’s bakset ball game against USC and her jersey retirement Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
Caitlin Clark speaks to the media before the Iowa women’s bakset ball game against USC and her jersey retirement Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's hard to imagine anybody disputing that Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is the biggest superstar in women's basketball.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean she's the best player quite yet. This is proven by the fact that Las Vegas Aces superstar A'ja Wilson won the 2024 WNBA MVP award and scored more points in a single season than anybody in WNBA history.

But which of these two elite players would you rather start a franchise with? When the NBA's Rising Stars were asked this by ESPN commentator Arielle Chambers ahead of the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend, they almost reached a unanimous consensus.

"Oh, I mean off the rip, I'm going A'ja Wilson," Nuggets guard Julian Strawther said, per Chambers' February 14 TikTok post. "I'm from Vegas, so Vegas Aces is obviously running the city, so A'ja is the one."

And Strawther was the only one to pick Wilson.

"It's easy for me: Caitlin Clark," 76ers guard Jared McCain said. He later added, "Not a rookie anymore, but she's tough."

"Caitlin Clark," Spurs guard Stephon Castle added. "WNBA version of Curry, so you can't turn that down."

"Caitlin Clark," said Warriors standout Trayce Jackson-Davis. "What she did at the college level, and the following that she has, not even from a basketball standpoint but from a logistics standpoint, I think every game would be sold out.

"Caitlin Clark," Blazers forward Toumani Camara said. "I like her demeanor. You can tell she really cares about winning and working on her game."

"Caitlin Clark," added Amen Thompson. "She's tough."

One player picked Angel Reese while another preferred to wait for JuJu Watkins to enter the league.

Despite not earning the unanimous nod from these future NBA superstars, Clark still received a ton of praise.

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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.

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