‘Caitlin Clark is the biggest brand in college sports right now’: Iowa women’s basketball draws national attention
Some of the country’s most well-known sports media personalities and athletes have been talking about Clark and the Hawkeyes as they head to the national semifinals Friday.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark holds up the Seattle Regional 4 trophy after a 2023 NCAA Elite Eight women’s basketball game between No.2 Iowa and No.5 Louisville at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA, on Sunday, March 26, 2023. The Hawkeyes defeated the Cardinals, 97-83.
March 29, 2023
Caitlin Clark’s 41-point, 10-rebound, and 12-assist performance in the Iowa women’s basketball team’s 97-83 Elite Eight victory on March 26 caught the eye of the sports world — literally and figuratively.
An average of 2.5 million viewers tuned into ESPN Sunday night as the junior guard from West Des Moines became the first player — men’s or women’s — to record a triple-double with 30 points or more in an NCAA Tournament game.
RELATED: Twitter reacts to the Iowa women’s basketball team’s Elite Eight victory over Louisville
The 2.5 million viewers is a record audience for a women’s tournament game excluding the Final Four, and among those viewers were multiple American sports legends.
After Clark shot 11-of-19 overall on Sunday and 8-of-14 from beyond the arc — many of those well beyond the 3-point line — people including LeBron James, Isaiah Thomas, and Magic Johnson mentioned Clark on social media.
Haha! But FR She’s so COLD!!!!!!! SHEESH
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 27, 2023
I just watched Caitlin Clark in person and she’s the REAL DEAL!!! HOOP game 🏁
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) March 27, 2023
I want to give a lot of love to superstar Caitlin Clark after she recorded 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in Iowa’s over win over Louisville! She’s the first player ever to record a 40-point triple-double in a men’s or women’s NCAA Tournament game. @caitlinclark22
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 28, 2023
Clark’s play Sunday also caught the eye of 39-time Grand Slam winner and 20-time Wimbledon tennis champion Billie Jean King.
King is a well-known advocate for gender equality and social justice both in sports and otherwise. She gave a signed piece of paper with the words, “pressure is a privilege,” to Hawkeye women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bluder before the season began and that paper was displayed in the Hawkeyes’ locker room all season.
.@CaitlinClark22 of @IowaWBB is the only women’s or men’s player in history with a 40-point triple-double in an #NCAA tournament game.
She helped her team make the #FinalFour for the first time in 30 years.
Congratulations, Caitlin and Iowa Women’s Basketball!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/dunB39HBJC
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) March 28, 2023
During her historic showing to send the Hawkeyes to their first Final Four in 30 years, Clark hit the “you can’t see me” celebration — made famous by the WWE’s John Cena — heading into a media timeout.
Cena saw a video of Clark’s celebration on Twitter and retweeted it with a comment of his own.
Even if they could see you…they couldn’t guard you!
Congrats on the historic performance @CaitlinClark22 and to @IowaWBB on advancing to the Final Four! @MarchMadnessWBB #WFinalFour https://t.co/QvpYDTESwb
— John Cena (@JohnCena) March 28, 2023
Before the women’s tournament began, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith called Clark “the Steph Curry of women’s college basketball.”
After Clark’s Hawkeyes advanced to the national semifinals on her shoulders, Smith’s fellow ESPN personality and analyst Jay Williams remarked that Clark is “the biggest brand in college sports right now.
Clark and the Hawkeyes will face reigning National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston and undefeated South Carolina Friday night at 8 p.m. for a spot in the national title game.