Iowa star Cailtlin Clark has been drawing comparisons to NBA star Stephen Curry, whose NCAA Division I single-season 3-point record she surpassed this month. But while Curry agrees she is an incredible shooter, he doesn't think their games need to be compared.
"I've been watching from afar and understanding just how much of a power she is out there on the court," Curry said on CBS Mornings. "The cool part is the way that she plays, and her range, and the level of difficulty on her shots is obviously a very close comparison to the way that I play.
"But I think it almost robs her of like the rest of her game because she's such a good floor [general], she has her overall floor game. She's racking up close to triple-doubles every night. Her shooting ability is her super power, but the rest of her game is as polished as that, so this is must-see TV."
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has been compared to Steph Curry because of her ability to knock down three-pointers.
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) March 12, 2024
Praising her overall skills on the court, @StephenCurry30 tells @Jerickaduncan that the comparison “robs her of the rest of her game.” pic.twitter.com/QCyuUalZRi
This season, Clark cemented herself as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history by surpassing LSU legend Pete Maravich's record of 3,667 career points. A huge part of what helped Clark break the record is her ability to shoot from beyond the arc. Clark nails shots from the logo frequently, and she makes it look just as easy and smooth as Curry does in an NBA game.
Curry was already showing signs of his greatness during his time at Davidson, when he knocked down a record-setting 162 3s in the 2007-08 season. Clark surpassed that 3-point total during Iowa's 95-62 win over Penn State in the Big Ten Women's Tournament quarterfinals.
Clark, who led the Hawkeyes to the NCAA title game last season, has been an incredible force in growing women's college basketball's popularity. Iowa sold out every home game for the first time in program history this season, plus Clark also helped sell out numerous Big Ten road games and is drawing huge television audiences. The Big Ten championship game between Iowa and Nebraska on CBS, for example, drew more than 3 million viewers and peaked with 4.45 million in overtime.
CBS Sports delivers the most-watched women’s college basketball conference tournament game ever on any network as the Big Ten Championship between Iowa and Nebraska averaged more than 3 million viewers and peaked with 4.450 million viewers in OT pic.twitter.com/wWDzdN6LWX
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) March 12, 2024
"I love what [Clark] has done for women's basketball in terms of when she shows up the seats are filled and there's a different energy," Curry said.
The Golden State Warriors point guard has been helping close the popularity gap between men's and women's basketball. During this year's NBA All-Star weekend, Curry competed against New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu in their own 3-point shooting contest. That was the first time a WNBA player was involved in the NBA All-Star weekend in that way.
Sabrina Ionescu will use the NBA line during the 3-point competition against Stephen Curry:
— Isabel Gonzalez (@cisabelg) February 14, 2024
“I wanted to continue to equal the playing field and do so when it matters on the biggest stage.”
Steph had to make sure I knew he wasn’t intimidated 😂: “I absolutely loved it.” pic.twitter.com/Mp1fGd2wqQ
Curry came out on top, 29-26, but a rematch with Ionescu may be in the works. When he and Ionescu were asked about Clark potentially joining them next year, neither of them gave a straight answer -- but they hinted they already had their partners in mind.
Clark already announced she will be declaring for the 2024 WNBA Draft, but her journey with Iowa is not over yet. Iowa will be competing in the NCAA Women's Tournament and will try to make it back to the championship game. The Hawkeyes will find out their seeding during Selection Sunday.
