Charles Barkley compares Caitlin Clark to Jason Kidd
Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark caught the college sports world by storm, as she put up massive numbers while taking Iowa to the national championship game. Her performances garnered a lot of attention. That includes Charles Barkley, who made an interesting comparison for Clark.
Barkley, during an appearance on the Bird and Taurasi Show during the title game, compared her to former NBA legend Jason Kidd.
“Watching that young lady play is amazing,” Barkley said. “Her range is incredible. The thing I like about her, other than her scoring ability, is her ability to push the ball up the floor. The only man I’ve ever seen do that consistently was Jason Kidd.”
For Barkley, both Clark and Kidd push the ball ahead in a way that most other players can’t. This gives them both a unique skill set that’s incredibly difficult to defend against.
“He always pushed the ball way ahead. A lot of point guards, they don’t want to pass that ball ahead. They want to hold it so they can get the assist. Jason Kidd and Caitlin are the two best I’ve seen. They don’t care about getting the assist. They push it way, way ahead and it makes it easy for the person who catches the ball, so they don’t have to go against the defense.”
In three seasons at Iowa, Clark has played in 100 games. During that time, she’s been a consistently dominant force for the Hawkeyes, averaging 27.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game. In the NCAA Tournament, she had 191 points, the most in a single tournament ever, regardless of if it was the men’s or women’s. For comparison, the Iowa football team scored 230 points total in 2022, in 13 games compared to six.
It’s a huge compliment from Barkley, a Hall of Fame player in his own right, to Clark. Jason Kidd is a legendary player in the game who has already made the Hall of Fame as a player. Really, it shows the sky is the limit for Clark.
Caitlin Clark on her legacy
After the loss to LSU in the title game, Caitlin Clark was asked about her undeniably dominant legacy in college basketball and at Iowa.
“I just think, just the biggest thing is, you know, it’s really, really special. And I don’t think it’s gonna set in for me for quite some time. I hope my legacy to be the impact that I can have on young kids and the people of the state of Iowa. And I hope I brought them a lot of joy this season. I hope the team brought them a lot of joy,” Clark said.
“I understand we came up one win short. But, I think we have a lot to be proud of, and a lot to celebrate. I was just that young girl, so all you have to do is dream and you can be in moments like this.”