Caitlin Clark joining NBC’s ‘Sunday Night Basketball’ for Lakers-Knicks pregame at MSG

Caitlin Clark is headed to the NBA, at least for a couple of nights.

NBC announced Tuesday that Clark — the Indiana Fever star with an enormous following within the game — is joining the network’s pregame coverage for its debut of “Sunday Night Basketball” this weekend when the Los Angeles Lakers play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

It’s set to be a two-night gig for Clark, who plans to return to NBC in another pregame role on March 29 when the Knicks visit the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“There’s no more iconic figure in basketball in the women’s game right now, or the game in general,” Sam Flood, executive producer for NBC Sports, told The Associated Press. “So, we said, ‘let’s have a bigger conversation.’”

It’s a logical fit: NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, and Clark announced that she entered a marketing relationship with Xfinity in March 2024. Clark has done some television work before, including a cameo on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in April 2024.

NBC is calling Clark “a special contributor” who will join the “Basketball Night in America” studio team of host Maria Taylor and analysts Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady — all Basketball Hall of Famers — for pregame commentary.

“I’m really excited to be part of the Basketball Night in America crew this season,” Clark said in a statement released by NBC. “Carmelo, Vince, and Tracy are legends of the game and Maria is a true professional. It will be really fun to join them a few times this season.”

Clark’s resume is stellar: She is a two-time WNBA All-Star and was an All-WNBA first-team pick in 2024 on her way to winning rookie of the year after being the league’s No. 1 draft selection that season. At Iowa, Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history with 3,951 points and was the AP’s college player of the year twice — as well as the AP’s female athlete of the year in 2024.

Flood said he’s convinced Clark can handle this new role.

“She’s had cameras pointed at her for years, and she’s certainly always put on a show with a basketball in her hand. And after a game ends, she’s always a great interview,” Flood said. “She’s always so thoughtful in everything she says. And to have the ability to do that on this platform, with this team, it’s going to be a lot of fun to listen to it. That’s the beauty of who she is.”

Clark has dabbled in sports broadcasting before, going viral once for attempting to do some play-by-play while watching the Philadelphia Phillies, not knowing Fever teammate Lexie Hull was secretly recording her.

The Phillies gave Clark rave reviews and even invited her to come try it for real. And now, NBC is giving her that opportunity as well.

“She’s going to be in a basketball arena, like she always is, and in her comfort zone — which is on the court talking about the sport she loves and the sport that she shines in,” Flood said. “So, what better place for her to debut than in Madison Square Garden with this a great team of talent around her? We’re confident she’ll thrive, because a basketball court is her second home.”

Clark was limited to 13 games because of injury last season with the Fever, who made it to the WNBA semifinals and fell to the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces. She returned to the court in December, taking part in a camp with USA Basketball’s senior women’s national team.

When she’ll play a real game again remains unclear: The WNBA and its players remain in a labor dispute that could threaten the 2026 season. Clark has made her thoughts clear, saying last month that these talks are “the biggest moment” for the WNBA and that “there has to be compromise on both sides” to strike the right deal.

It’s unknown if she will address labor matters Sunday. But Flood dropped one tease about what might be coming during Clark’s debut appearance.

“We’re hoping to have Caitlin with a basketball in her hand,” Flood said.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA