Would Caitlin Clark beat Bronny James in a game of one-on-one?

Caitlin Clark rose to the top of the sports world in the last 12 months, as she transformed the type of attention women’s sports receives. The WNBA icon and Indiana Fever star is talked about constantly, and some former NBA players had thoughts about whether she could defeat NBA-quality talent in a game of one-on-one basketball. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Former NBA All-Star and NBA champion Jeff Teague appeared on the Club 520 podcast late in 2024 and talked about what a spirited game of one-on-one would look like between Caitlin Clark and Bronny James.

Teague said, “Caitlin would not score a point on Bronny, bro. She might not even get a shot off, bro… He would beat her by 60 points. He would legit beat her 20-0. Bryce James (Bronny’s little brother) would beat her 20-0.”

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Teague continued, “that’s my whole point, he is 10 times more athletic than her. He can do everything better than her. She’s a girl, bro… She’s a hooper, but no, bro, that’s a man.”

Sports Illustrated pointed out that Teague believed that Clark would only be able to defeat high school kids in a game of one-on-one.

The conversation came up because Club 520 podcast host and former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas compared Bronny James’ popularity in the NBA G-League to that of Clark’s in the WNBA. Arenas said, “I’m coming to this arena, it’s being filled up because of me. It’s like Caitlin Clark.”

Former NBA player Rashad McCants disagreed with James being linked to Clark, saying, “Who is Caitlin Clark, though? She’s greatness personified. She’s not Bronny James.” Arenas responded by saying, “It don’t matter. The light is the light… The light comes from people who want to see him succeed, and then there’s light from people who want to see him fail.”

In January 2024, The New York Times wrote a piece talking about how men who tried to slow Clark down in scrimmage and exhibition settings while she was still at the University of Iowa had very little success.

Former University of Iowa and current Philadelphia Eagles NFL player Cooper DeJean told the Up and Adams Show in May 2024 that he could beat Clark in a game of one-on-one basketball. DeJean said that Clark, “took a shot back at me after. She texted me and said that she doesn’t think I can beat her.”

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Before he was drafted to the NBA, Bronny James was asked to play a game of “start, bench, cut” between Clark, A’ja Wilson and Sue Bird. In the social media video, James decided to start Bird, bench Wilson, and cut Clark.

Clark’s elite conditioning has been talked about a lot of the past few years. That’s not to say Bronny James doesn’t keep himself in great shape, but Clark wouldn’t figure to get tired trying to find angles to get shots up around and over James.

Of course, James would have the advantage in the strength department. In a hypothetical competitive game of one-on-one, Bronny could just opt to take Clark down to the post, where she most likely would not push him off of his spot.

If standard scoring rules apply, however, Clark might indeed stand a chance. If shots beyond the arc are worth two points, it’s not inconceivable for the Fever star to get hot and drain shots from distance. This possibility doesn’t seem as feasible for James, who isn’t known as a great shooter at this point in his career.

While the possibility exists that Clark could string long range shots together, it would seem fair to wonder if she would be able to grab rebounds on missed shots during the matchup with Bronny. Second chance points would seem to be a category that James should win comfortably.

For what it’s worth, Bronny’s father LeBron James has continuously supported Clark during her ascension to the top of the WNBA food chain. He said in a May 2024 podcast, “I’m rooting for Caitlin because I’ve been in that seat before. I’ve walked that road before. I hope she kills.”

Who would win a game of one-on-one between Bronny James and Caitlin Clark? Let us know what you think by dropping us a comment!

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