Pelicans' Dejounte Murray comes to Caitlin Clark's defense against detractors

The WNBA is a league on the rise. This past season has seemingly seen more media attention brought to women's professional basketball than ever before, largely in part due to the arrival of Indiana Fever rookie and former Iowa Hawkeye star Caitlin Clark. Clark came out of Iowa as one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory and has exceeded her lofty expectations in the pros so far. Unfortunately, due to her celebrity, a significant amount of non-basketball discourse has followed her to the WNBA.

She's quickly become one of the most controversial names in women's basketball. While she's undeniably one of the greatest rookies to ever grace the court, some fans, pundits, and even colleagues have been quick to curb the mounting excitement around her young career. One of the latest notable figures to come to her defense was New Orleans Pelicans star trade acquisition Dejounte Murray.

The W has long been subsidized by the NBA, both financially and through their platforms in hopes of bringing more attention to their sister league. Murray has long been one of the NBA's more visible supporters of the WNBA and can often be seen at the games on his off days. His defense of Clark is only his latest show of support for the league and women's basketball.

Dejounte Murray rebuts Caitlin Clark's claims of dominance

In just her first campaign, Clark has already racked up several accolades and milestones that even her most staunch fans may not have expected. She was recently named to the WNBA's All-Rookie Team, made All-WNBA First Team, won the AP Rookie of the Year, and even finished fourth in MVP voting. In her historic rookie year, she also led her Fever to the playoffs, scored the most points of any rookie in league history, and set the single-season assist record with 337. That's the most assists in a single year out of any player, not just rookies.

Despite her accomplishments, several detractors are unready to crown her as the next superstar in women's basketball. One of her most notable challengers has been Sheryl Swoopes, former three-time WNBA MVP and sports personality. Earlier this year, on Gilbert Arenas's "Gil's Arena" podcast, Swoopes stated that Clark might be overhyped. Speaking on Clark's season averages of 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game, Swoopes said:

""Those are hell of a numbers. But to me, that’s not dominating.""

- Sheryl Swoopes

Dejounte Murray disagreed. Under a recent Instagram post that highlighted Clark's output and accomplishments, Murray referred to Swoopes's slight as laughable. He wrote, with quotation marks to allude to Swoopes and Clark's other doubters: ""She's not DOMINATING"" alongside 25+ laughing emojis to make it known how comical he thought that sentiment was.

With three seasons averaging over 20 points under his belt, an All-Star selection, and an All-Defensive Team nod, Dejounte Murray is no stranger to dominating in the sport of basketball. Regardless if Clark has been over or underrated so far in her career, it's undeniable that she's a spectacular talent who's helped advance the WNBA's popularity. Dejounte Murray has acknowledged her greatness; hopefully, more will follow suit soon.