Curt Miller says the WNBA is ‘fortunate’ to have Caitlin Clark, compares her to Sue Bird, Becky Hammon

Sparks head coach Curt Miller had plenty of praise for Caitlin Clark after the Fever’s recent win over Los Angeles, including comparing her to greats of the game in Sue Bird and Becky Hammon.

While Caitlin Clark’s presence has been wholly positive for the WNBA, that hasn’t necessarily equated to being welcomed with open arms by everyone associated with the league.

However, you can’t count Sparks head coach Curt Miller among that group.

Few in the league have as much experience around women’s basketball as Miller, who has been coaching since 1991. Since 2015, he has been in the WNBA, so he’s seen plenty.

When it comes to Clark, though, he has seen no one like her. Following the Fever’s recent close win over the Sparks, Miller was asked for any comparisons he has for Clark.

In a very detailed answer, Miller compared Clark to a pair of WNBA legends and spoke of how vital she is to the league.

“She’s really special,” Miller said. “I don’t have a lot of comps. I have different breakdowns of people within her game, but she has it all. When Sue Bird was in her prime, Sue Bird played with incredible pace...I got to coach Becky Hammon when she was in college and Becky Hammon had such a unique ability to put the ball in the basket. When she got open and got any kind of space, you just counted it.

“I see elements of Caitlin that I got to witness firsthand with the opportunity to coach Becky Hammon early in her career...She’s a special player and we’re really, really fortunate to have her in our league.”

Miller’s response to Clark excelling in the WNBA isn’t necessarily unanimous, even if the vast majority of the response has been positive. Notably, Sheryl Swoopes has gained some attention for how drastically different a response to Clark she’s had compared to someone like Miller.

Clark is the type of player and athlete that is going to elevate the WNBA as a whole. More eyes are on a league that has deserved them for so long. A lot of people laid the foundation for Clark to eventually come and be able to lift the WNBA to greater heights, and she isn’t doing it alone.

But it’s nice to see people like Miller, who are aware of all of that and are showing her the praise she deserves.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.