Lisa Leslie says the quiet part out loud about Caitlin Clark: ‘This is a money business’

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) poses for a photo Wednesday, April 22, 2026, during media day at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The Indiana Fever has the engine of its offense healthy and competing again in point guard Caitlin Clark, after all but 13 games of Clark’s sophomore campaign in the WNBA were lost to soft tissue injuries.

In Clark’s time away from the hardwood, general managers across the WNBA appear to have forgotten her value. In an anonymous survey of the GMs across the league, Paige Bueckers beat Clark for the top player to start building a franchise around.

“Yeah, it’s really cool just to have that mutual respect amongst people who live in this area or live in this space and who really understand the game,” Bueckers said of the ranking.

“And there’s so many amazing basketball players to choose from. I feel like there’s so many people I would choose to start my team with. So for them to think that highly of me, I’m very grateful, very blessed. And yeah, I mean, yeah, just grateful.”

How quickly they have forgotten

Even if the GMs feel Bueckers is the better player on the floor, which is debatable, the reality is that Calrk is just as much of an engine off the court. An economic one. It’s something that isn’t wasted on WNBA legend Lisa Leslie.

Leslie appeared on Thursday’s episode of First Take and was candid when asked about the survey.

“Well, all those GMs probably going to get fired, because this is a money business. and the money is about Caitlin Clark,” she said. “Never in the history of the WNBA, have we had a player force teams to get into larger arenas. I’ve never seen that happen. If you’re the GM, you’re obviously supposed to be bringing in money. That’s revenue. I’m going with Caitlin Clark.”

It doesn’t hurt that Clark was All-WNBA as a rookie in her last fully healthy season, either.