“Killing it”; “Won’t get Rookie of the Year”: College hoops fans left debating as Caitlin Clark wins Best College Athlete award
Former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark had a major role in taking women's college basketball to a new level last season. Meanwhile, she added numerous awards to her name including the 2024 Naismith Women's College Player of the Year.
Clark, who has since transitioned to the WNBA as the No.1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever, recently bagged another award. It was the ESPY Awards night in Los Angeles on Thursday where Caitlin Clark won the Best College Athlete and the Best Record-Breaking Performance Award which left hoops fans with a mixed bag of reactions on the internet.
It feels like just yesterday when Caitlin Clark was breaking records at Iowa. She grabbed the all-time Division I scoring record for both men and women during her illustrious college career. Following her double-award win at the ESPYs, fans had plenty to say on X/Twitter:
"You're killing it out there! Rookie of the Year vibes all the way," a fan wrote.
"She won't get Rookie of the Year tho... I think we all know who gets it," said another fan.
Clark did not start her WNBA career from where she left off in college. She took her time to settle into a completely new structure. As a result, some fans chose former LSU and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese over her:
"Angel Reese is better," one fan said.
"Well deserved for a great college career," another fan said.
Some fans talked about the fact that she became the first woman to win this award and congratulated her on the achievement:
"The first woman to do so," a fan wrote.
"Caitlin "record-breaker" Clark! Love it!" another fan said.
Now with the Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark recorded her fourth consecutive double-double in the game against the Washington Mystics on Wednesday.
Jan Jensen and others talk about Caitlin Clark's ESPY Awards win
New Iowa head coach Jan Jensen and tennis icon Serena Williams were among the people who talked about Clark and her greatness:
"2 ESPYS for Caitlin is "espy-cially" amazing! Congrats Caitlin Clark so proud of you!" wrote Jan Jensen in her Instagram Story.
"Caitlin Clark had an amazing year and is nominated for three awards. Caitlin, you are Larry Bird in that you're an amazing player, you have ties to Indiana and white people are really crazy about you," Serena Williams said while hosting the ESPY Awards.
Clark is averaging 16.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, and 7.6 apg in the 23 games she has played for the Fever so far this season. She was not present at the awards in Los Angeles but sent her acceptance speech via a recorded video.