Caitlin Clark in uniform. Brittney Griner sitting on sidelines in hoodie.Caitlin Clark and Brittney Griner (Photos via Getty Images)

Britney Griner had a stern message for Caitlin Clark ahead of her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever.

‘You’re going up against grown women,’ Griner told People, when asked to describe what the 22-year-old rookie will face in the league.

‘This is how they feed their families. This is not just for the love of the [game]. This is their livelihood.’

The Phoenix Mercury star admitted she had a difficult transition from Baylor University to the pros after she was drafted number one overall during the 2013 WNBA draft.

‘It’s different, when you come from college to the pros. I went from top dog to my numbers going down a bit,’ she recalled, describing her rookie season an ‘eye-opener.’

Amidst much excitement surrounding the Indiana Fever rookie, WNBA standout Brittney Griner had some nasty words to say about Caitlin Clark. Even though she thinks Clark has potential, Griner doesn’t seem to be buying the hype.

The basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury, in her new memoir “Coming Home,” describes her 2022 incarceration in Russia. Griner claims she packed cannabis oil by mistake, but it was discovered in her suitcase, leading to her detention. She received a nine-year prison sentence.

Griner spoke to People about her memoir and also commented on Caitlin Clark, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft.

Compared to her collegiate opponents, Clark’s WNBA opponents are very different. Players in the WNBA struggle to provide for their families.

In an interview with People magazine for the recent release of her book “Coming Home,” Griner admitted that the arrival of the 2024 draft class will be a turning point for the WNBA. “The hype that Caitlin and some others have right now is amazing for the league. There’s good talent coming in,” Griner accepted.

 

She remembered how difficult it had been for her to enter the WNBA ten years prior, as the first overall pick in the 2013 Draft, as she gave Caitlin Clark some advice.

“It’s different when you come from college to the pros,” Griner said. “I went from top dog to my numbers going down a bit. You’re going up against grown women. This is how they feed their families. This is not just for the love of the [game]. This is their livelihood.”

She added: “I had to get stronger, lock in a little more. There will be some growing [pains] for her, but she’ll be fine.”

Griner acknowledged that she did not like the Iowa Hawkeyes, even though she respected Caitlin Clark. This was especially true when the team advanced to the NCAA Tournament finals and faced the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Dawn Staley, the head coach of South Carolina, is old friends with the Mercury forward. Staley was one of Griner’s prominent supporters while she was imprisoned in Russia.

“I saw [Staley] at the Final Four, right before the National Championship. I told her, ‘Go get it. That’s yours,’” Griner recalled. “I just knew South Carolina was going to win,” said the forward.

Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Debut Coming Against Connecticut

Caitlin Clark (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Connecticut Sun will host Caitlin Clark for her professional debut with the Indiana Fever next week, marking the beginning of the WNBA season.

Throughout her senior season, the former Iowa Hawkeye standout broke NCAA records, drawing sizable crowds. She is expected to have the same effect in the WNBA.