ESPN debates what Caitlin Clark injury return means for WNBA

The WNBA has received a major bump in viewership and attention since Caitlin Clark made the jump to the league. That’s why there was a lot of concern about how fans would react to the league once she went down with a quad injury earlier this season.

Over the weekend, Clark made her return to action and put on a show against the New York Liberty. That caught the attention of former player-turned-analyst, Rebecca Lobo. She appeared on First Take the Monday following the game, sharing what her return means for the WNBA.

“It means a lot more people are paying attention once again,” Lobo said. “We know how much Caitlin drives ratings. We know how much Caitlin drives attention on the WNBA and for her to come back and do it in that way, was just ridiculous. I’m sitting there at the end of the first quarter when she had that 38-second stretch where she drained deep three, after deep three, after deep three, I was just sitting there thinking I’ve been around this league since 1997, I have never seen that in a WNBA game.”

The New York Liberty entered the game at 9-0. They couldn’t slow down Caitlin Clark, though, who would score 32 points to go along with eight rebounds and nine assists. It was an all-around effort, but she was particularly great from the three-point range, knocking down seven of 14 shots from deep.

For Lobo, Clark’s performance was special. Coming off a quad injury that kept her out of play for five games, it was a run of success to help the Fever give the Liberty their first loss that she hasn’t necessarily seen while being a part of or watching the WNBA.

“Have we seen players go on runs? Of course, we have, but not like that where a couple of the three-pointers are from 30-plus feet. It was an exhibition by her after being out for 19 days, to recover from an injury. Couple that with the other passes that she made,” Lobo said. “Some of the other plays, it was just ridiculous. It’s not often that I’m watching the WNBA and I’m just like, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen this before.'”

Caitlin Clark certainly appears to be healthy after her quad injury. If she can keep playing the way she did against the Liberty, she’ll also likely attract even more attention. She’ll be back in action on Tuesday against the Connecticut Sun, who have struggled early in the season.