LeBron James' Reaction To Caitlin Clark's Team USA Return Draws Attention
A wait that felt like forever is now in the rearview mirror for women's basketball, as Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark made her highly anticipated return to the court for Team USA in the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament on March 11.
Clark came off the bench for the USA's opening game against Senegal. While this decision not to have Clark start rubbed some fans the wrong way, the bottom line is that once she entered the game about halfway through the first quarter, she quickly asserted herself as the best player on the court for either team.
She immediately tallied three assists on her first three touches and drained the first three-pointer she took. As the game progressed, Clark was making her iconic reads, seeing the game with exceptional foresight, and taking timely opportunities to get her own buckets.
Clark finished the game with 17 points, 12 assists (which was the second-most assists in a single game in the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament's history), and went 4 of 5 shooting from the field (all of which were three-pointers) in just 19 minutes played. She was also a +35 when she was on the court, which was tied for the most out of anybody on Team USA.
LeBron James Shows Caitlin Clark Love After Team USA Return
It's no secret that Los Angeles Lakers legend and NBA icon LeBron James is a huge Caitlin Clark fan, as he has praised Clark many times across her college and professional career (and Clark has done the same with him.
It appears that LeBron was following Clark's return to the court on Wednesday. This was proven after the @usabasketball Instagram account posted a video of Clark draining a three-pointer in the first quarter against Senegal. The post was captioned, "CC FOR 3 🎯".
LeBron was one of the over 17,000 people who liked this video, which is now catching attention on social media.
helloooo pic.twitter.com/nsztTejgvC
— lo (@caitscroptop) March 11, 2026
Granted, it would have been more concerning if Clark didn't look like her vintage self against a clearly inferior team like Senegal. But given all the superstars on Team USA (all of whom have been playing Unrivaled aside from her and don't have the same rust she might have), it wouldn't have been too surprising to see Clark take more of a background role in her first game back.
But that's not the kind of player Clark is. And she proved that on Wednesday.
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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