Caitlin Clark of the Hawkeyes basketball team made history on Sunday afternoon in Iowa City, overtaking “Pistol” Pete Maravich to become the NCAA’s all-time top scorer. Leading her team to a 93-83 victory over Ohio State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Clark finished the game with 35 points, bringing her career total to 3,685 points.
Before Sunday’s regular-season finale, Clark needed just eighteen points to surpass Maravich’s record. She had already surpassed fellow female athlete Kelsey Plum’s scoring mark, and last week she had also passed Lynette Woodard’s record.
Many well-known figures in the basketball world, including LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, who on Saturday night became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 points, congratulated Clark as soon as she broke the mark.
On Sunday night, Joe Biden also praised Clark on social media. “With 3,685 points and counting, you’ve made your school proud”, the U.S. president tweeted on X.
Congratulations to Caitlin Clark on making history as the NCAA all-time leading scorer. With 3,685 points and counting, you’ve made your school proud. https://t.co/ZBzuVwgvNk
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 4, 2024
Not long after the record was shattered, Nike, which has been heavily featured throughout Clark’s record-breaking year, unveiled an amazing new advertisement.
“It takes a once-in-a-generation player to break a record that’s stood for generations. Congratulations to @caitlinclark22 — the new owner of the all-time NCAA scoring record”, the company’s tweet reads.
In lieu of playing a fifth season in Iowa City, Clark declared last Thursday that she will be filing for the WNBA Draft later this year. It is generally anticipated that she would go first overall, possibly sending her to the Indiana Fever.
