Caitlin Clark is the most transformational player in the history of women's basketball and arguably the most influential athlete in the world right now.
Her prowess at the collegiate level with the Iowa Hawkeyes catapulted her into stardom with the Indiana Fever in the WNBA, and her electrifying play and record-breaking performances were must-see TV for fans of the sport and even the casual observer.
She became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, man or woman, during her senior season in Iowa City and led her team to back-to-back National Championship appearances for the first time in program history. Still, her earth-shattering collegiate career is looked down upon by some fans and analysts.
ESPN put out a segment last week about where Caitlin Clark ranks on the all-time list of the best women's college basketball players. There is certainly an argument for great players like Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner or Diana Taurasi to be at the top of the list, but ESPN's choice to exclude Clark from the top five altogether is both baffling and disrespectful.
ESPN snubbed Caitlin Clark from Top 5 women's college basketball players discussion for no good reason
"I love Caitlin (Clark), I love how she's transcended the game," said analyst Arielle Chambers. "The only strike against Caitlin Clark is that she has not won a National Championship."
While it is true that Iowa never won a National Championship during Clark's four-year tenure at the school, Clark was playing against juggernaut teams like the LSU Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks. These teams had multiple bonafide WNBA stars on their team and a tradition of excellence, whereas the Hawkeyes missed the NCAA Tournament in three out of five seasons before Clark's arrival.
Winning is a team stat and not always tied directly to the greatness of one player. Otherwise, Bill Russell would be considered the greatest player in NBA history. If winning does not automatically make you the greatest of all time, then losing should not disqualify a player from this distinction.
Chambers goes on to list all of Clark's accomplishments, including her three NCAA single-season scoring and assist titles, three All-American selections, two National Player of the Year Awards and her breaking of the NCAA's All-Time Scoring Record. Still, Chambers and the rest of the analysts elected to keep Clark off of the list.
The panel was consistent, as their top five consisted only of players who had incredible individual accolades and multiple National Championships on their resume. Chambers certainly gave Clark her flowers by acknowledging not only her accomplishments on the court, but also off of them.
However, Clark should be on every list concerning the best women's college basketball players of all time. Perhaps she is too prominent right now to give her the credit that she deserves, but I am confident that history will look back favorably on the Caitlin Clark era of college basketball and consider her the greatest to play the game at that level.