Caitlin Clark says Philly can claim her, debates potential WNBA team names with Kylie Kelce on ‘Not Gonna Lie’
And we learn from their discussion of the name “Belles” that Kelce and Clark are familiar with Philly hoops lore.
As usual, Kylie Kelce is asking the questions Philadelphia wants to know. On a special Tuesday drop of her weekly podcast, Not Gonna Lie, she picked WNBA star Caitlin Clark’s brain about whether we might see the star play for Philadelphia’s upcoming WNBA team when it arrives in 2030.
Though she said she’s only been to Philadelphia once, for a doctor’s appointment and a cheesesteak, the Indiana Fever guard has a lot of respect for its sports fans.
“I love how passionate fans are,” Clark said. “They’re crazy, but I think it’s awesome. Phillies fans and Eagles fans, Sixers fans, they all seem kind of nuts, but I love it. … They want to win just as much as the players do, possibly more, honestly.”
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Kelce, who knows Philly fandom all too well, wholeheartedly agreed. The duo discussed several topics, including the recent WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream. Clark gave both teams their flowers for the seven-game Finals and expressed pride in how far the WNBA has come in recent years in viewership.
“When I kind of fully realized it was when I would see the numbers up against, like, Masters weekend or other college basketball games,” the former Iowa star said. “Obviously, we can’t really compete with the NFL, that’s a different beast, but even like MLB games or other NBA games, the amount we’re drawing on a consistent basis is pretty incredible. … There’s been a consistent growth about it.”
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Clark did not escape Kelce’s questioning about the upcoming 2030 Philadelphia WNBA team, however. They debated names, which has been a “hot topic” in the Kelce household. One that came up was the “Philadelphia Belles,” which sounded familiar to Clark from her AAU days.
“They were one of the first really, really, really good women’s AAU programs when I was growing up,” Clark said of the Belles. “I played them all the time. They were on the Nike circuit. They’ve had a lot of really good players.”
They agreed that the Belles might not like having their name taken, however. Kelce suggested the “Philadelphia Broads,” as a nod to Broad Street and because the name is “kind of rough around the edges, like Philadelphia.”
Kelce also tried to recruit her guest for Philly’s future team.
“Philly has such a rich tradition in women’s basketball, too,” Clark said. “It’s 2030, and the new arena will be done by then. It’s going to be crazy, I think, just the excitement level for that team.”
Philadelphia basketball is already previewing that excitement with the start of the season. Clark even got in on the hype surrounding LeBron James joining the Sixers.
“He gave me his signed, game-worn Sixers jersey,” Clark said. “I don’t really want that many people’s signed jerseys, but that’s one where I’m like, ‘That’ll be framed.’”
Clark also pointed out her shared Iowa roots with Sixers coach Nick Nurse, who is from Carroll, Iowa, and, like Clark, has played a major role in the growth of the sport in the state.
So would she like to go to a Sixers game at Xfinity Mobile Arena?
“I’d love to,” she said. “I need to experience the fans up close.”
Kelce warned, though, that Clark should do so before Philadelphia has a WNBA team of its own, that is, if Clark isn’t on it herself.
“I know for a fact, if they put your face on the Jumbotron at a Sixers game, we would bring the house down with cheers,” Kelce said. “Here’s the thing, because we don’t have a W team yet and you have not declared yourself against us, we still get to say you’re with us … and that is the psychopath mentality of Philadelphia. It’s how we function.”
Works for Clark.
“You can claim me,” she said. “I’ll take all of Philly.”
Say less.
