While Caitlin Clark nurses her quad injury and Paige Bueckers continues to solidify her WNBA Rookie of the Year campaign with a career-high 35 points on Wednesday night, it’s safe to say that white women dominating in the WNBA is nothing new. Although the influx of a new fan base has created narratives that Clark is the first white player to ever be considered the best in the game, it couldn’t be further from the truth.
WNBA Legend Lauren Jackson Talks Caitlin Clark
In fact, one of those dominating white women who we haven’t heard from for quite some time is the Australian icon, Lauren Jackson, who recently gave her opinion on what player she enjoys watching the most these days.
Jackson, though not as known as Clark by this new WNBA generation, is one of the icons of the game. The 6-foot-5 Aussie was a two-time WNBA champion, three-time WNBA MVP, seven-time WNBA All-Star, and Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame selection. She’s also a member of the 10th, 15th, 20th and 25th WNBA Anniversary teams.
“Who is everyone enjoying watching? Caitlin Clark,” Jackson told ESPN.
In a career that spanned 2001-2012 with the Seattle Storm, Jackson played with or against most of the league’s all-time greats, including Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Lisa Leslie, Penny Taylor, Tina Thompson, and Sheryl Swoopes.
“Man, I would’ve loved to have played with her,” Jackson, the No. 1 overall pick in 2001, said of the woman they call Double C. “As a point guard with that much vision and awareness, I’ve just never seen anything like it.”
Clark stormed the WNBA, similar to Jackson, who’s continued playing overseas as recently as 2024 with Albury Wodonga Bandits; a team that she also coached in 2019. Prior to joining the WNBA, Jackson AKA Loz”, “Jacko” and “LJ dominated the WNBL.
Jackson, known for her post presence, versatility and impact spoke highly of the slick-shooting Clark’s high-IQ as a point guard. Clark was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year and a WNBA All-Star in her first season, breaking multiple scoring and assist records, and becoming the first rookie to record a triple-double.
“I love her intensity,” Jackson said of Clark
“I love that. Obviously, she’s a young player and still has so much development ahead of her. But, I think her smarts. The way she reads the game, the way she passes the ball, the way she shoots the ball. She can get to the basket, change of pace.”
So Clark definitely gained another fan and it was Jackson’s way of welcoming her into the “White Women Who Dominated the All-Black WNBA” fraternity.
These White Women Came Before Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark is the meteor that struck due to a multitude of events, narratives, racial and cultural clashes. However, you can’t talk about white women and WNBA history, without mentioning the careers of a few other icons, like Jackson, who dominated the court, were wildly popular among WNBA fans and helped elevate the game in America and overseas.
Diana Taurasi
Diana Taurasi played 20 seasons and is the only player in WNBA history to score over 10,000 points in her career. The GOAT retired last season, and her farewell tour was somewhat overshadowed by the arrival of the WNBA’s rookie crop. During her run she became a legend and the most decorated Olympic women’s basketball player ever, winning six gold medals. You know who’s second? Lauren Jackson, who at 43 years old helped lead Australia women’s team to the bronze medal in Paris.
Elena Delle Donne
Following an outstanding prep career during which she became the most highly touted women’s basketball recruit since Candace Parker. After a stellar career at Delaware, after flipping her commitment to UConn, Delle Donne was a two-time WNBA MVP (2015, 2019), seven-time All-Star (2013–2015, 2017–2019, 2023), four-time All-WNBA First Team (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019) WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021), 50–40–90 club in 2019.
The 6-foot-5 versatile baller averaged 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks per game and shot a record 93.7% from the free throw line. Her length and versatility continued to help women’s hoops evolve. She shot nearly 48 percent from the field and made 39 percent of her threes over a 10-year career with the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics.
Breanna Stewart
Currently playing is another GOAT contender, a four-time National Champion, a two-time WNBA MVP and Finals MVP, a six-time All-Star, who most recently took home the league’s top honors in 2023. She led the New York Liberty to the first championship in franchise history in 2024. Her accolades are endless as well. She was a 2016 WNBA rookie of the Year. She’s been MVP in FIBA action and won gold medals. The history of the WNBA can’t be written without Stewart’s resume.
Though the credit and fame came quickly, as did the attention from male fans and those who were never engaged in the WNBA narrative or its players before Cailtin Clark and Angel Reese met on the college hardwood and went viral, white women have always been a huge part of the history of the league and among the elite players to ever do it.
White Women Have Won 36.4% Of WNBA MVP Awards Since 2003
Since LJ broke through 22 years ago, there’s been a total of eight MVP awards won by white women in the W. That’s more than 36 percent of the MVPs in the last two decades.
Jackson says she A’ja Wilson is the best player, but she can’t help acknowledging the women who help to diversify the league.
“I love ‘Stewy’ [Breanna Stewart], but then obviously our Aussie girls. Seeing Sami [Whitcomb] in Phoenix, Ezi [Magbegor] doing her thing in Seattle, [Jade Melbourne] in Washington, Steph Talbot. All of our girls, Alanna Smith in Minnesota; she’s another one Australia should be watching… she’s just consistent, gets the job done, and she’s one of our stars.”
