Nancy Lieberman on Chennedy Carter fouling Caitlin Clark: 'I would've punched her in the face'
Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky drew national headlines recently when she decided to body check Caitlin Clark to the ground in their WNBA matchup. The incident drew rage from millions of people across the country and has gained widespread attention across the national media landscape.
Count former WNBA player and coach Nancy Lieberman among those who was absolutely furious with the incident. And on Wednesday morning on the “Run It Back” podcast FanDuel TV, Lieberman absolutely unleashed on Carter in uncensored fashion.
Nancy Lieberman sounds off on Caitlin Clark-Chennedy Carter
“Well, I mean, if I were Caitlin Clark I would have punched her in the face,” she said on Wednesday morning. “I’m from New York and I would have told her to fu** off. And that would actually cure the problem. Because I’ve known Chennedy since she was in high school here in Dallas. She’s a tough kid. She’s a really good basketball player. She’s gonna come after you because she’s very physical. Which is ok. But damn. Where’s Caitlin Clark’s teammates?
“I’d be pissed as sh** at my teammates if nobody came to my defense. You know, Gretzky had an enforcer. Michael Jordan had Oakley. Honestly, this is bullsh**. This has to be better. Indiana has to be better. Somebody has to come to this kid’s — I don’t want to say rescue — But you guys know this better than anybody, Michelle as well. In 1984 when Michael Jordan came into the league, he changed the economics of the league, financially, with the GLA, with all the TV contracts. He was on TV every game. Arenas were filled. When Tiger Woods was tearing up the PGA when he first started, he changed the PGA world for every golfer financially. And people need to thank Caitlin Clark for being that generational athlete that is making them wealthy.”
Lieberman didn’t stop there. She continued her point on Clark’s financial benefit to the WNBA.
“They will have generational wealth,” se said. “They would not have airplanes, chartered jets without her. They wouldn’t have been on TV. And I know the WNBA has worked hard over the last 27, 28 years. But they weren’t doing this with all the greats. With the Hall of Famers, with Lisa [Leslie] with [Diana] Taurasi, with [Sue] Bird. It was still sporadic with some of the greatest players in the game. But Caitlin has caught the interest of the common person. Both women, men, children, and we need to celebrate her not tolerate her. She’s a great kid. She’s like LeBron, she doesn’t wanna you know, mix it up with people. Although she could, but they don’t want to hurt their image.”
Lieberman has an extensive history in the game of basketball, having won a WABA (Women’s American Basketball Association) Championship in 1984. She was also named the WABA Most Valuable Player that same year. In 1999, she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. And in 2022, there was a statue unveiled of her at Old Dominion University, the first statue of a former ODU athlete at the University. Lieberman starred there for four years in her playing career from 1976 to 1980, averaging 18.1 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game.
She’s also a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. As a coach, she’s spent time in both women’s and men’s professional leagues over the years, including the WNBA, the NBA G League, the NBA, and the Big 3.