"WNBA version of Steph Curry" - NBA Rising Stars Amen Thompson, Jared McCain & others pick Caitlin Clark over A’ja Wilson as top franchise cornerstone

Beyond her impressive on-court accomplishments, Caitlin Clark has earned the respect of her fellow hoopers — including the young stars set to compete in the 2025 Castrol Rising Stars event.

During media availability at NBA All-Star Weekend, WNBA reporter Ari Ivory posed an intriguing question to some of the Rising Stars: If they could choose, who would be their WNBA franchise player?"

Instead of selecting a more established WNBA veteran, such as three-time MVP A’ja Wilson, several Rising Stars went with Clark:

"WNBA version of (Steph) Curry, so can't turn that down," Spurs rookie Stephon Castle said.

Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets smiled as he gave his answer.

"Caitlin Clark. Gotta be," Thompson said with a grin.

Jared McCain, who was named a Rising Star despite a season-ending knee injury, praised the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year for her toughness on the court.

"It's easy for me: Caitlin Clark," McCain said. "Not a rookie anymore, but she's tough."

Golden State Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis also weighed in on Clark’s impact since her time with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

"What she did on the college level and the following that she has, not even just from a basketball standpoint but from a logistics standpoint, I think every game would be sold out," Jackson-Davis said.

Caitlin Clark declines invitation to 3-point shootout at 2025 All-Star Weekend

While the likes of Castle and Thompson will be seeing action during the All-Star Weekend, Clark herself will not be participating — despite having received an invitation to do so.

Last month, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the sharpshooting Clark declined an invite to a special 3-point contest, choosing to save her debut for the WNBA All-Star Game instead:

"Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will not participate in NBA All-Star special 3-point shootout in San Francisco and 'wants her first three-point contest to be at WNBA All-Star in Indianapolis this summer,' her representatives at Excel Sports said today," Charania tweeted.

There had been speculation about a possible Clark-Sabrina Ionescu pairing to take on the Splash Brothers duo of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. However, Clark has opted to wait for the WNBA’s own All-Star event before making her 3-point shootout debut.