Caitlin Clark grabbed the recent headlines as she became the all-time leading scorer of the NCAA women’s DI basketball circuit. Following the achievement, Shaquille O’Neal dubbed her the best female collegiate player in a recent discussion of Inside the NBA. The seemingly bold comment raised the eyebrows of Charles Barkley as the 1993 MVP mentioned WNBA legends as a counter.
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The argument ignited from the Iowa Hawkeyes’ recent 106-89 home win against the Michigan Wolverines. Clark assisted her team defend the fort while surpassing the Washington Huskies’ former player Kelsey Plum’s 3527-point record. The point guard’s 49-point display has boosted her status as the leading scorer in the division with 3569 career points at an average of 28.2 points per game.
The 6ft guard’s rise to the superstardom received praise from the viewers with Shaq being one of them. The 4x champion advocated for the Iowa-born, stating, “She is incredible. Congratulations to her and her family. I’m just seeing her from last year when they played LSU. But she is phenomenal. I’m gonna go on the record and say she’s the best female collegiate player ever”.
The brave announcement from Diesel met with initial resistance from his co-panelist Kenny Smith as the latter questioned, “Ever?”. Barkley soon followed in the footsteps of the 2x champion, mentioning, “You never heard of Cheryl Miller, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi?”. The contrasting stances resulted in a debate as Shaq insisted, “I said what I said,” as Sir Charles continued to name WNBA icons.
The entire episode displayed how disparities pave the way for off-court arguments even amongst the best of the game. Despite the remarkable achievement of the youngster, Chuck desired to pay tribute to her predecessors. So, the 11x All-Star intended to shed light on the recency bias in Big Aristotle’s stance by naming the iconic figures of the circuit.
Yet, the 2000 MVP refused to take a step back as he stood firm in his opinion to openly support Clark. His entrance to his denial stage paved the way for a one-sided conversation. In the end, they both respected their difference in opinions as the heated debate reached its conclusion with mockery.
Amidst the concerns, Caitlin Clark displayed her exemplary mindset
Despite the anticipation surrounding the record, the Iowa star maintained a stoic perspective on the matter. Rather than focusing on the by-product, she prioritized her team’s glory in the pre-match conference. “It’s just go out there and play basketball and have fun, and this is kind of what comes along with it,” she declared.
She further emphasized the importance of process and hard work while prioritizing them over the outcome. The 6ft guard mentioned, “The amount of points you score doesn’t determine whether you are playing good or bad. Your point total is never an indicator of how you play. It’s how hard you work and how good of a teammate you are”.
Her comments put into perspective the recipe for her success in the college basketball circuit over the past four years. This mindset has established her status as an elite competitor in the NCAA while aiding her in shattering records in the process. With the WNBA being the upcoming path in her journey, there remains enough time for her to back Shaq’s words by the end of her career.
