“She is the most impactful player that I’ve seen hit the scene, not even just in basketball, but in sports, in a generation.”

Chiney Ogwumike is hailing Caitlin Clark as a generational talent who is propelling women’s basketball to new heights.

A guest on the latest episode of the Awful Announcing podcast, Ogwumike spoke candidly about how she felt her own network’s investment in women’s basketball helped prepare it for this breakout year. She also touched on Clark’s importance to the game of women’s basketball, telling host Brandon Contes that her impact isn’t overstated, but everything you see and read about her impact is absolutely true.

“She is the most impactful player that I’ve seen hit the scene, not even just in basketball, but in sports, in a generation,” Ogwumike told Contes, “for how she moves a needle not only with viewership, but business. And that rising tide lifts all boats. And the reason why I say for a generation is because I have the lived experience. I played against Maya Moore. I played against Candace Parker. I played against Diana Taurasi, particularly most of those in the WNBA. And my big sis in life — my mentor — not even when I talk about basketball, is Lisa Leslie.

“I know the greatness that the game has always had, but Caitlin Clark is bringing it to new, exponential heights. And it’s bringing and ushering the moment that we’ve always been waiting for. I think a lot of times when we speak positively on other players, people take it as a shot to Caitlin — it’s not. You have to celebrate those who are advancing the game but also recognize that Caitlin is doing things at a speed — at lightspeed for us — with our business, with our growth, with our viewership.

“A lot of people get so mad because I say, ‘Players understand this.’ Yes, players understand this, and I’m there in the locker room(s) after the All-Star Game, where everyone is loving on each other and supporting each other. ‘Good luck in Paris. Good luck the second half of the season.’ Now, when you go out there in front of the bright liights, and you compete, and it gets dirty, and it gets competitive, people make that the personality of who these women are. That’s not what it is. So, I think that’s the frustrating part: knowing the real situation, but also knowing what the outer perception is.

“Caitlin Clark is the most impactful player we’ve seen in a generation, and probably when it comes to moving the business forward, in the game we’ve ever seen. I’m excited to be apart of this moment that she’s helping elevate.”

Contes noted how there’s sort of this reaction from a lot of people who are just now starting to watch the WNBA, that there was a perception that existed that the league wasn’t competitive and wasn’t physical. Ogwumike explained that this perception is inaccurate and that the WNBA is filled with highly competitive and talented athletes.

“Yeah, that was one of the big educational points that I tried to show people, because I think people have perceptions of how women should be conducting themselves compared to men, particularly through the lens of sports,” Ogwumike continued. “These women are like bada** female athletes. They don’t care who’s in front of them. They’re there to compete. That is there job. And also, we haven’t been playing because of a lack of a better way of saying this, like for the paychecks for a very long time. We’re playing for pride in our game, legacy, understanding that there’s only 12 spots on this roster. You have to kill what you eat.

“Obviously, that comes with situations that we’ve had to deal with, particularly through the lens of what Caitlin had to deal with. But she’s chose this path, she’s embraced this path, and she is better for it. A lot of the times we were worried about protecting her on the court, that first half of the year, people used to get so upset. A lot of people, maybe because I’m not her teammate or on her team, like I’d say to people, ‘I don’t really care about her turnovers. I really don’t.’ I think her willingness to share and, not care what she looks like, and not care about those mistakes is going to build a better her.

“Her willingness to continue to show up for her fans and for herself at the highest level is going to show up. And let me tell you something, it did. She got 19 assists, set a WNBA record, her fans are selling out arenas and upgrading arenas. She is the moment, and she’s getting better as the season goes on, as we all have shared and predicted…

“Can you imagine what it’s like for her? That’s why I’m glad she’s chilling. And even seeing pictures of her taking pictures in grocery stores and like in a terminal bus train, it’s a lot on her shoulders. But she’s done a great job handling it, as have others too.”

As a former No. 1 overall pick herself, Ogwumike can relate to Clark. She told Contes that “Everybody wanted to bust my a**.”

“I always tell people, this is the first thing I learned. I told you about my sister, Nneka, preparing me for my opponents, how to play the Phoenix Mercury,” Ogwumike added. “I was like, ‘Nneka, what do I with Diana on the perimeter?’ She’s like, ‘Chiney, let me tell you something. Diana, when she sees a rookie, she’s gonna test you. The first thing is when you set a screen, she’s gonna punch you. So, do what you want to do with that information.’ I go down, knowing that I’m gonna set a screen on Diana. And guess what? I hit her hard before she hit me.

“Like you have a screen, she tried to put put her arm to like punch you in the screen, see what you made of. I hit her hard. Now, the problem was, on that play, a foul was called, which meant that her team had to go to the free-throw line. It was a dead ball. I just couldn’t hit her and run. You know what I’m saying? I go to the free throw line, and I’m like, ‘Oh God, she’s gonna see that I leveled her.’ And I go, and she turns on the 3-point line and makes a B-line straight for me and stands next to me.

“Mind you, she’s not supposed to be on the free throw line. She’s a point guard. She’s supposed to be back at half-court. She came next to me, turned…she goes, ‘I see you, welcome to the league. I see you.’… That’s what it’s like to play in the WNBA. I used to get elbows in the freaking face from Sylvia Fowles as a five guarding her because she cut through every time. I got dropped my third game by Tamika Catchings, and to this day, every time I see her, I say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for not making that shot.’ I touched earth and watched that ball; that was the longest three seconds of my life. She missed it, and if she didn’t miss it, I would’ve been on ESPN, SportsCenter.

“That was like my first five games. So, that’s what the league is, but it makes — you know, you push through that. You become a beast. You know what I mean? And so, that’s what we know. And so, I think people are seeing the ‘beast’ emerge in these players.”