Caitlin Clark’s rise in basketball has been nothing short of meteoric. At the University of Iowa, she redefined what it meant to be a scoring machine. This includes breaking the NCAA Women’s Basketball’s all-time scoring record with 3,941 career points, previously set by Kelsey Plum (3,527) in 2017, and propelling the Hawkeyes into national prominence.
Clark broke multiple collegiate records in addition to her all-time scoring record, yet ESPN didn’t include her among the top five college basketball players of all time.
Fans Tear into ESPN for Snubbing Caitlin Clark From Top Five WCBB of All Time
Known for her electrifying long-range shooting and exceptional playmaking, Clark quickly became a household name at Iowa, drawing unprecedented attention to women’s basketball. She holds the all-time scoring record, most career three-pointers, most points in a single season, most points in a single NCAA D1 tournament, and most 30+ point games in men’s and women’s college basketball in the last 30 years, as well as Iowa’s scoring and assists records.
Clark led Iowa to back-to-back NCAA Final Fours but always fell short of winning the national championship, leaving questions on whether she was the greatest women’s college basketball player of all time. ESPN analysts Sam Ravech, Ari Chambers, and Alexa Philippou raised similar questions during a March 16 segment on YouTube titled ‘Is Caitlin Clark The Greatest Of All Time In College Basketball?’, and their answer was no.
Chambers said, “Love Caitlin, love how she has transcended the game… But in the open, we said, ‘What makes a top-five player? Winning.’ The only thing, the only strike against Caitlin Clark, is that she has not won a National Championship.
“And that is the only thing that you can put against her because the way that she has dominated the record books when she was at Iowa was something you could put duplicate,” Chambers added before later saying, “But how can you be a top-five player if you have not won a title?”
The hosts removed Clark from the top five list, which featured Breanna Stewart at No. 1, Candace Parker at No. 2, Diana Taurasi at No. 3, Maya Moore at No. 4, and Cheryl Miller at No. 5. The WNBA ROTY’s snub angered her fans, who held nothing back against the broadcasters.
“They are deluded with hate,” one user wrote.
They are deluded with hate.
— Elle (@choppinfirewood) March 16, 2025
Several Clark fans argued that she would have won several NCAA titles if she had been on a team like UConn or South Carolina. Few also argued that making a team like Iowa relevant in the race for the national championship was itself a feat.
“They might have overlooked the fact that UConn and South Carolina, etc, get 99% of the talent. The fact she made Iowa relevant is a feat in and of itself. The CC hate is all jealousy,” a fan argued.
They might have overlooked the fact that UConn and South Carolina etc get 99% of the talent
The fact she made Iowa relevant is a feat in of itself
The CC hate is all jealousy
— Charles Spurgeon (@chazspurgeon) March 16, 2025
“Lol. This just always makes me laugh. If she had gone to UConn, she would have four,” another fan argued.
One fan didn’t flinch away from declaring Clark the best women’s basketball player of all time.
“What??? That is NUTS. She is THE best WBB player of all time,” they wrote.
Despite the rankings and the national championship, Clark remains one of the most influential women’s college basketball of all time. Her records may get broken, and someone may win even five national championships, but very few would be able to bring the visibility she has brought to women’s basketball.