“Played on Boys’ Teams”: Peyton Manning Reveals Untold Tales of Young Caitlin Clark

Peyton Manning and Caitlin Clark. Image Credits – USA TODAY Sports

Five-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning has achieved tremendous feats in retirement, even launching several shows like the ‘Manningcast’ and ‘Peyton’s Places’. And now, the two-time Super Bowl champ has taken it to the next level by producing his docu-series, The Full Court Press, which focuses on the brilliant stories of the latest talents of the WNBA, including Caitlin Clark. However, the journey to bring this project to fruition has a story of its own.

During his recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Peyton Manning spoke about Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, and Kiki Rice and how their stories progressed from picking up a basketball to making it to the WNBA. He talked about the kind of work that went behind their journeys as well as how unnoticed it often goes.

“These girls didn’t just show up all of a sudden and become great players. Caitlyn played on boys’ teams growing up as a kid,” Manning disclosed. “Her parents put her on boys’ teams — and so she learned to be competitive.”

Manning also spoke about Clark’s mentality as a player, which has brought on a lot of love for her. The young WNBA star has quickly become very popular among fans. Since her college days, Clark has been getting a lot of attention for her style of play. She has been deadly accurate on the court.

Moreover, her vocal commitment to the game and her mentality have been dubbed synonymous with the Mamba mentality. While on the podcast, Manning spoke about how impressed he was with her story. He also explained how he was able to get her on board for the Full Court Press to share her journey.

How Did Peyton Manning Get Caitlin Clark on His Docu-Series?

Manning explained that the whole concept of the show is to bring to the public the level of hard work it takes to go pro. His show encompasses players who come from different places and how they made it big in women’s basketball. And one can’t talk about advancements in women’s basketball without talking about Caitlin Clark.

Clark has obviously made a huge impact on the sport, and Manning wanted to capture that. Fortunately for him, bringing in Clark wasn’t too difficult. Manning explained that when he first approached the young star, she was completely on board. Moreover, she showcased a lot of maturity and told Manning that she wanted other stories included as well.

Clark wanted different stories included in the docu-series as it would capture the different kinds of struggles and stories other players have gone through. The decision to include other players is also wise in the sense that it would showcase an immense level of representation, making it a well-rounded series.

As a young star, the display of this level of maturity is tremendous. Moreover, the docu-series is going to be very inspirational for young girls who want to play in the WNBA one day.