For 54 years, Pete Maravich’s record stood untouched: a monumental 3,667 points, capped off by a 44.5 points-per-game average during his senior season. Few players came even close to it. Then Caitlin Clark arrived.
It is rare for a player to break a record that has stood for half a century—but one look at Clark’s resume shows that she is anything but common. An Iowa native, she has assembled a historic career at the University of Iowa, continuously rewriting record books. She has catapulted herself into the conversation for the greatest female basketball player of all time, at 22 years old. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley praised Clark after her team beat Clark’s Iowa in the 2024 national championship game, calling her one of the greatest of all time and a flagbearer for the sport.
The high praise can seem like an overreaction, like one of many short-lived Internet trends, a Jeremy Lin-type flash in the pan. After all, athletes go on remarkable runs all the time. Clark’s resume proves otherwise, as she’s the all-time leading scorer in college basketball, as well as owning the single-tournament scoring record and nearly every other college scoring record. She is a two-time Player of the Year, a four-time All-American, a three-time scoring leader, and a three-time assist leader. Her resume surpasses just about every other college athlete, ever.
The most remarkable effect of Caitlin Clark’s rise has been the impact she’s had on women’s basketball, even outside of Iowa’s games. For those who prefer the hard numbers: the average ticket price for Iowa’s semi-final against UConn was $2,323. The men’s equivalent? Barely over $1,000. A few years back, the WNBA was largely seen as a joke, and demands for better pay for female athletes were scoffed at.
Now, thanks in large part to Caitlin Clark and her star-studded graduating class, the tide has turned. The Las Vegas Aces moved their opening game of the upcoming season from their usual Michelob Ultra Arena (capacity 12,000) to T-Mobile Arena (capacity 18,000), in anticipation of the matchup with the Indiana Fever—holders of the number one overall pick in the upcoming draft, and projected destination for Clark.
The last couple of years, women’s basketball has taken big strides forward. While still far from the popularity of the NBA, the WNBA has more viewers than ever before. Stars such as Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart are becoming respected household names, with signature shoe deals with Nike. The 2024 draft class features numerous stars—Hailey van Lith, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese—and of course, Caitlin Clark.
