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Women's Basketball Legend Eviscerates Jeff Teague Over Caitlin Clark Claim

Teague recognized that Clark is 'good' but claimed that she's not 'that good.'

Tim Capurso

Caitlin Clark is currently sidelined due to a right groin injury.
Caitlin Clark is currently sidelined due to a right groin injury. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Women's basketball legend and Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman took former NBA player Jeff Teague to task for comments he made on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark during a recent episode of his podcast, Club 520.

While Teague, his brother Marquis and Teague's fellow co-hosts DJ Wells and Brian "Bishop B" Henn pondered whether the Fever are a better team without Clark, who is sidelined due to a right groin injury, Teague himself uttered what many sports fans would agree is a controversial statement.

"She good, but she not that good," the former longtime Atlanta Hawks guard said of Clark.

Well, Lieberman made an appearance on the 3s and Ones podcast with former NBA player Michael Beasley and NBA reporter Chris Haynes, and the women's basketball legend eviscerated Teague for his take.

"I don't agree with Jeff Teague, who I read something today said that, 'Caitlin Clark, well she's just a good player. She's not a great player.' Jeff, I love you. You weren't a great player. You were serviceable. I know you made the All-Star team one time. So I'm sorry, if we're gonna be honest, I'm happy for your career."

Clark became the all-time leading scorer among both men's and women's NCAA Division I players during her highly successful tenure with the Iowa Hawkeyes, then went on to become the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. During her first season in the league, she was named to the All-Star team, won Rookie of the Year and finished fourth in the MVP voting. And while she isn't putting up the numbers many expected in year two as she has dealt with injuries, it's hard to argue with Clark's greatness.

It's no wonder that Lieberman, one of the pioneers of women's basketball pre-WNBA, reacted so strongly to Teague's take.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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