Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark on Sunday paid homage to Kobe Bryant in more ways than one.
Clark led the Hawkeyes to their third straight Big Ten Tournament title in a thrilling 94-89 overtime win over Nebraska at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
Clark produced 34 points, 7 rebounds, and 12 assists in the championship game. While she didn’t have the most efficient night (12/19 shooting, 5/17 from three), Clark hit the biggest shot of the tournament — a go-ahead three with less than a minute to play in overtime.
"You want to have a Caitlin Clark on your squad. What a response!"@IowaWBB with the lead. pic.twitter.com/LaFxqHrUNy
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 10, 2024
Clark was able to mimic more than just Kobe’s clutch heroics to seal a three-peat. The 22-year-old also reproduced an iconic photo of Bryant holding the Larry O’Brien trophy in the showers after the 2001 NBA Finals. The photo came after the Lakers’ series-clinching Game 5 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Iconic. @CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/7fjKqh9wbO
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 10, 2024
Caitlin Clark doing her best Kobe impression 🐐🐍
(via @IowaWBB) pic.twitter.com/LTi9ZrKr4m
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 10, 2024
Bryant, a proud girl dad and a strong proponent of women’s basketball, surely would have loved Clark’s recreation of his throwback photo.
Clark became the first woman in nearly three decades to win three straight Big Ten Tournament MVP awards. The Iowa standout has already announced her intention to move on after four college seasons.
But before she heads to the WNBA, Clark still has one more piece of hardware left unattained from the college ranks — the NCAA women’s championship.
