LeSean McCoy Melts Co-Hosts' Brains With Bold Claim About Caitlin Clark
The former NFL star stunned his co-hosts by arguing that Caitlin Clark’s impact on women’s basketball has already surpassed the influence of tennis legend Serena Williams.
LeSean McCoy sparked a lively debate this week after declaring that Caitlin Clark may already be the most influential female athlete of all time. Even ahead of tennis legend Serena Williams.
The discussion happened on the Speakeasy podcast, which the former All-Pro running back co-hosts with Emmanuel Acho, when the group began tossing around names for the most influential white athlete ever. The conversation included household names from across the sports world — athletes like Tony Hawk, Conor McGregor, Larry Bird and David Beckham.
But when Clark's name came up, McCoy took the discussion a step further.
"She's like top three, might be two," Shady said. "No, she is one. She’s the most influential women’s athlete of all time."
The most influential women's athlete — of any race. A bold claim. But not really that far-fetched if you think about it.
LeSean McCoy says Caitlin Clark is the most influential female athlete of all time.
(Getty Images)
Still, the comment stunned the other hosts, who immediately pushed back and suggested McCoy was disrespecting the legendary Serena Williams.
"I think Serena Williams was great. But who was watching women’s basketball? You weren’t. I wasn’t," McCoy explained. "Then we get this girl like Steph Curry and everybody watches it, to this day.
"Women’s basketball is looked at like the NBA, like the NFL. They’ve got their own channels now on ESPN. When was the last time you heard people talking about women’s basketball on TV? Now they’re going to talk about Luka, and they’re going to talk about Caitlin Clark."
He's not wrong that Clark undeniably changed the whole landscape of women's basketball. And she didn't even come from a juggernaut program like South Carolina or UConn.
"Next point, she didn’t play at LSU or USC," McCoy added. "She played at Iowa!"
Is Caitlin Clark More Influential Than Serena Williams?
After shattering NCAA records with the Hawkeyes, Clark entered the WNBA as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft and immediately became the face of the league for the Indiana Fever. Her rookie season helped drive record TV ratings, massive attendance spikes and a surge in merchandise sales across the league.
Some estimates even suggest Clark accounted for roughly 26.5% of the WNBA's economic activity during her rookie season while generating more than $1 billion in total value.
Still, McCoy's hot take raised eyebrows because of the towering legacy of Williams, who dominated women's tennis for two decades.
Williams captured 23 Grand Slam singles titles — the most in the Open Era — and spent more than 300 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world. Her success helped elevate the global popularity of women's tennis and inspired an entire generation of players.
Serena Williams of the United States serves in her Women’s Singles Semifinals match against Naomi Osaka.
(Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
McCoy acknowledged Serena's greatness but argued that women's tennis was already an established global sport before she arrived. Clark, on the other hand, created an entirely new level of attention for women's hoops. And she did it less than a year after going pro.
Whether Clark ultimately surpasses Serena in terms of influence is a debate we'll probably be having for years to come. Clark is just starting her professional career, while Williams' resume spans decades. It's kind of apples to oranges at this point.
Still, the fact that McCoy even felt comfortable putting Clark in the same conversation as Serena Williams tells you everything about the kind of star Caitlin has become.