The broadcasting legend firmly defended the Hawkeyes’ standout guard after his ESPN colleague’s critique.
Caitlin Clark is statistically one of the best players in women’s college basketball history, but her place at the top of the sport is apparently up for debate.
ESPN’s Jay Williams has maintained that Clark can’t be considered “great” until she wins a national championship.
However, not everyone in the basketball world agrees with Williams’s take. Longtime ESPN analyst Dick Vitale defended Clark’s accomplishments and believes she is already a “great.”
“Look I RESPECT the views of others but I do not think it is FAIR to eliminate someone that doesn’t win a championship,” Vitale wrote Monday on social media. “Championships are won by strong talented TEAMS.”
Recently there has been debate about being the GOAT as it related to @CaitlinClark22 . Look I RESPECT the views of others but I do not think it is FAIR to eliminate someone that doesn’t win a championship. Championships r won by strong talented TEAMS . I always felt that WILT C…
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) February 26, 2024
Clark is the career scoring leader in NCAA women’s basketball, and she also ranks in the top five all-time in assists, field goals made and three-pointers made. Yet, when Clark played in the national championship last season, Iowa lost to LSU, as the Hawkeyes fell one game short of their first title.
Vitale went on to compare Clark to Wilt Chamberlain, who only won two championships in his NBA career as he had to compete against the stacked Boston Celtics rosters of that era.
Iowa has another chance to get Clark the coveted title this year before the point guard likely enters the 2024 WNBA draft. According to Vitale, though, Clark doesn’t need the title to be considered an all-time great.
