PHOTO: $3.2M NIL-valued Caitlin Clark’s effect reaches new heights as fan creates stunning mural with 720 Rubik’s cubes
Caitlin Clark's popularity knows no bounds because a dental student at the University of Iowa paid a heartfelt tribute to the star hooper by making an impressive portrait. The most surprising part is that Brian Dang, a dental student in fourth year, made the portrait using 720 Rubik's Cubes.
Dang and his brother, an engineer 20 years older, would often play with Legos growing up. Eventually, Dang moved on to the Rubik's Cube, drawing himself into the artistry of three-dimensional art.
His time in Iowa coincided with the rise of basketball phenom, Caitlin Clark, who has a NIL valuation of $3.2 million (per On3 Sports). Dang began his portrait of Clark by pixelating an image of her from last year's Elite Eight win against LSU. He carefully arranged each Rubik's Cube position using an Excel spreadsheet.
The result was a portrait of Clark in white, blue, yellow, and red Rubik's Cube.
"I made this when she broke the (scoring) record and I didn't really mention it to anyone, just my roommate," Dang said, as per Iowa City Press-Citizen. "There's one day I was in school, we were talking about the women's basketball tournament and how well Caitlin Clark is doing, hoping she can actually win the title this year."
Paige Bueckers delivers her fresh take on potentially overtaking Caitlin Clark's spotlight
As mentioned, the Iowa Hawkeyes are to face the UConn Huskies in an epic Final Four showdown. The result of the game will lead to the winner playing in the finals, marking the last year of Caitlin Clark's collegiate career as she is to appear for the WNBA draft.
In a media press conference, the star player of the Huskies, Paige Bueckers, offered insightful remarks regarding the future of women's college basketball, particularly after Clark's transition to the WNBA. Even though Paige is considered a potential successor, she voiced her reluctance to shoulder the spotlight alone.
She does not want a monopoly over other female hoopers and said:
"I think media coverage is important for the game. I think it grows the game. I think, I know freshman year, I was like the media darling, everybody was focused on me, what I did at UConn my freshman year."
"But, I think it's more important for the game to share the spotlight, to grow the game and show all the stars of college basketball, not just focus on one particular player, whether it be me, Caitlin, JuJu [Watkins], Angel [Reese]."
Do you agree with Paige's view and do you think she can achieve the same level of media attention that Caitlin Clark did? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.