Millions of eyes were on the women’s NCAA basketball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Ohio State Buckeyes, as Caitlin Clark was 17 points away from breaking Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA scoring record. As she completed the feat, LeBron James shared a message of support for the active NCAA legend on social media.
“CONGRATS Caitlin Clark on becoming the All-Time leading scorer!!”
CONGRATS @CaitlinClark22 on becoming the All-Time leading scorer!! πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£πͺ£. ππΎπ«‘π
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 3, 2024
Clark dropped 35 points in the 93-83 win over the No. 2 ranked Buckeyes in her final collegiate regular season game, as we inch closer to March Madness in her senior year.
This game took her all-time scoring tally to 3,685 in the NCAA, zooming past Maravich’s 3,667. She crossed Maravich with free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
FOR THE ALL-TIME SCORING RECORD!!!!! π€© π₯ CAITLIN CLARK!@CaitlinClark22 x @IowaWBB pic.twitter.com/dBHFW9k2PK
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 3, 2024
Clark has averaged 28.3 points over her college career compared to Maravich’s 44.2, with both feats occurring in different eras of the sport. Maravich played without a 3-point line and attempted 38.1 shots per game under LSU Tigers head coach Peter βPressβ Maravich, who was his father.
Clark scored 1,055 of her 3,685 points during her junior season last year, where she won various Player of the Year honors alongside Angel Reese of LSU. She could realistically push the record to 3,800 points depending on how deep of a run the Hawkeyes manage in the tournament, as they head into it with the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten.
With Clark owning the record and heading into her final championship run, she hopes to bring the first women’s basketball NCAA title to Iowa and complete one of the greatest collegiate careers in history.
Shaquille O’Neal Called Caitlin Clark The Greatest Women’s NCAA Player Ever
Clark’s success in the sport hasn’t gone unnoticed, with many legends weighing in on her greatness. Shaquille O’Neal gave Clark a huge endorsement by calling her the greatest women’s college player of all time, ahead of names like Maya Moore, Cheryl Miller, and more.
“I’m gonna go on the record and say she’s the best female collegiate player ever. I said what I said. This is my opinion.”
Clark is one of the most decorated collegiate athletes in history. She broke into the mainstream last season when she scored 191 points in the tournament, breaking both the men’s and women’s scoring records for a single NCAA tournament. Her 60 assists were the most by a player in women’s tournament history as well, but she failed to overcome Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers in the Final.
With Clark set to declare for the 2024 WNBA Draft and leave one of the greatest legacies of a basketball athlete in the NCAA, many will view her to be on a trajectory that could end with her name being proclaimed as the greatest women’s basketball player in history. She’s expected to be the No. 1 overall pick and join the Indiana Fever to hopefully propel that franchise into greater relevance.
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