Chris Evert & Billie Jean King applaud Caitlin Clark after Indiana Fever star wins WNBA Rookie of the Year award

Chris Evert and Billie Jean King recently heaped praise on Caitlin Clark as she won the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year. Evert called her a role model and commended her for bringing women's basketball to a new level.

Clark took the WNBA by storm, averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists across 40 games. She broke the single-season assist record as well as the single-season rookie scoring record. The Indiana Fever star also became the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double.

According to reports, the 22-year-old has won the Rookie of the Year award for the 2024 season. Applauding Clark, Jean King wrote:

"What a first season! Congratulations to @CaitlinClark22, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year. Her historical season includes: 🏀 Single-season assist record 🏀 Single-season rookie scoring record 🏀 First rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double 🏀 First rookie to record 100 threes in a single season," Billie Jean King wrote.

Evert brought forth her off-field achievements, including being a role model and taking women's basketball to a new height.

"👏👏👏👏👏Brought women's basketball to a whole new level! A great role model ❤️," Chris Evert wrote.

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Chris Evert draws a parallel to 'jealousy' towards Caitlin Clark & her and how 'Billie Jean King stood up' for her

French Open Tennis Tournament. Roland-Garros 2023. - Source: Getty

Chris Evert reminisced about how Billie Jean King stood up for her during her early days in light of Chennedy Carter pushing Caitlin Clark during their match. In June, during Indiana Fever's thrilling victory over Chicago Sky, Carter pushed Clark, leading the latter to take a nasty fall.

The incident caught Martina Navratilova's eye, who said that WNBA players should realize that the 22-year-old is helping them and the league.

"The players in the WNBA need to realize that Caitlyn Clark is helping all of them, now and in the long run. Caitlyn is the tide that will raise all boats!" Navratilova wrote.

A fan responded to Navratilova and drew a parallel to tennis in the early '70s, saying that King urged players to embrace Evert as she was going to raise the bar for tennis.

"Much the same as when @BillieJeanKing told the #Original9 & other early @WTA players to embrace instead of criticize @ChrissieEvert because she in '71-74 (& then you from '75 onward) raised the bar for #tennis!" a fan wrote.

The 18-time Grand Slam responded to the fan's assessment and said that she faced hostility and jealousy early in her career but King stood up for her.

"Yes, there was jealousy towards me... It didn't feel good. I was just a teenager. BJK stood up for me ❤️I hope women's basketball follows suit. @CaitlinClark22 is making the sport better," Evert wrote.

Chris Evert also raised a question as to why Caitlin Clark was left off the 2024 Paris Olympics roster.