Paolo Banchero Weighs In on the Scrutiny Caitlin Clark Faces
It's no secret that Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has perhaps the biggest platform in the history of women's basketball. She is undoubtedly the biggest star that the women's game has seen, despite being just 24 years old, and has leveraged this star power to impressive heights.
However, being on this big a platform also puts Clark under a microscope. Everything she says and does in the public eye gets scrutinized and dissected, to the point where all of her words hold meaning, even if she doesn't necessarily mean for them to.
Clark manages this extremely well. She manages to stay eloquent and articulate when speaking in front of microphones and cameras while also doing well to ensure that she doesn't say anything out of line that could be taken out of context. This is surely much tougher than Clark makes it seem, which is a testament to her and those around her.
Paolo Banchero's Stance on How Caitlin Clark Handles Scrutiny Speaks Volumes
Few people can empathize with the pressure that Clark is under, since they've never been in that sort of position before. One person who can come close, though, is Orlando Magic star forward Paolo Banchero, who was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft and has since blossomed into a superstar in the sport.
National Girls & Women in Sports Day was celebrated on February 4. To honor this, the Magic's social media team posted a TikTok video asking their players which women in sports they respect. When Banchero was asked this question, he said, "First, obviously, my mother. Her being a professional basketball player. But today, in today's day and age, I would say that I respect Caitlin Clark."
"I feel like she deals with a lot of scrutiny, and stuff like that. So I like that way she handles herself," Banchero added of Clark.
Paulo Banchero on which female athlete inspires him. pic.twitter.com/LUQqBqexaB
— Jess (@FeverBandwagon) February 5, 2026
It's cool to hear Banchero praise Clark in this way, which is something that No. 22 certainly deserves not only on National Girls & Women in Sports Day but during the other 364 days of the year.
Paige Bueckers, A'ja Wilson, Naz Hillmon, Rae Burrell, Angel Reese, and both Sabally sisters (Satou and Nyara) also got shoutouts from select Magic players when they were asked the same question as Banchero.
Props to the Magic's social media team for this great idea and props to the team's players for speaking up in this way.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever 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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