Caitlin Clark Continues to Thrill Iowa Fans at ESPY Awards Amid ROTY Worthy WNBA Season

USA Today via Reuters

One of the names that roared throughout the basketball world in the last two years was undeniably Caitlin Clark. Whether she played at home or on the road, the No. 22 broke or created records throughout her junior and senior years as a Hawkeye. While there were many exemplary achievements that she swept away, some feats were simply exhilarating. Consequently, despite becoming a star rookie for the Indiana Fever now, she continues to thrill the Iowa fanatics.

Thursday night, Caitlin Clark received the honor of two ESPY awards. She grabbed the Best Record-Breaking Performance for becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. She did this by breaking Pete “Pistol Pete” Maravich’s 54-year-old record. To top her collegiate basketball career off, she also took home the Best College Athlete Award in Women’s Sports. Without a surprise, she also took the same back in 2023 as well for pushing Iowa to the 2023 NCAA DI WBB Finals.

While the rookie was busy practicing for her upcoming games before the All-Star weekend, she did have a virtual message. She addressed the audience, “I just wanted to say thank you for this recognition. Obviously, I could not be there tonight. I’m a little bit busy in Indianapolis. This award means a lot not only to myself but to my teammates and coaches that I had at the University of Iowa. It’s special for all of us and it was a special year in women’s athletics. Thank you, ESPN.”

The 22-year-old hooper concluded her speech by giving a shout-out to all the nominees and award winners. She also added that she was sad to not be present at the Dolby Center in Los Angeles for the ceremony. However, she is busy continuing her race for the ROTY and is doing quite well.

How is Caitlin Clark doing in the ROTY race?

While the Fever rookie may have left the likes of Coco Gauff, Nelly Korda, and Tara VanDerveer behind for two of the three ESPY awards, she has a lot more to achieve for her current team. So far, the first overall pick was a clear winner for the Rookie of the Year award. However, things got interesting when Angel Reese not only broke Candace Parker’s double-double record but has continued to increase the streak. Moreover, the Chicago Sky is winning through the Chi-Town Barbie’s contributions in the frontcourt. For the same, ESPN brought the LSU alum to their first spot.

Still, Caitlin Clark has not lost all her chances. In her last game vs the Washington Mystics, she recorded a remarkable stat line. She recorded 29 points with 5 threes, 13 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 blocks that noon. Consequently, she became the only NBA and WNBA athlete since 1973-74 to lodge these numbers in a game. She is also leading the league as she created over 50% of her team’s total points in the last 5 games.

Moreover, Rickea Jackson too is moving the cards a little with her contributions to the LA Sparks. But as for the rookie honor, many believe that Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will share the Rookie of the Year award. Still, there’s a long way to go till October and the tides can change any time to make this race’s winner clearer.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video