Rebecca Lobo shuts down talk of Caitlin Clark as the GOAT: 'She needs to win multiple national championships'

Iowa star Caitlin Clark continued to add to her incredible legacy on Monday night in Albany, scoring 41 points along with 12 assists and seven rebounds to help the Hawkeyes defeat LSU in a 94-87 win in the Elite Eight. Leading Iowa to their second-straight Final Four appearance while also returning the favor to the Tigers following last year’s national championship loss.

Clark already became the all-time leading scorer across men’s and women’s basketball this season passing ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich, and could add a true exclamation point to her outstanding career by leading Iowa to a national championship win.

She’s already regarded by some as the greatest women’s basketball player of all time at the college level, but when former player and current analyst Rebecca Lobo was asked if Clark is the GOAT, she pushed back against the notion.

“I’ll tell you for me she is the best offensive player that I have ever seen, at least in the last 30 years that I have been either playing or calling women’s college basketball games,” Lobo said on ESPN’s Get Up. “When you get into the GOAT conversation, does she need to win a national championship to be considered the GOAT? I don’t think so, I think she needs to win multiple national championships to be in that kind of conversation.”

Clark delivering Iowa their first national championship could solidify her being the GOAT in the eyes of some, but not Carter. Who referenced other players whose individual accolades may not compare to Clark’s, but have been a part of perennial championship-winning powerhouses.

“Because when you look at the history of the game, Candace Parker won two championships at Tennessee, Diana Taurasi won three championships at UConn … Breanna Stewart won four national championships. Not only won, four championships, she was the most outstanding performer in four Final Fours,” Lobo explained.

While Clark’s status as the GOAT may be up for debate, her impact on the game is not. Known for selling out games regularly, helping break television viewing records, and elevating the game of women’s basketball as a whole in an unprecedented way.

“Caitlin is an incredible player, she has done more in terms of bringing attention and eyeballs to the women’s game than any player we have ever seen. That’s a mere fact,” Lobo said. “But when you want to talk about the GOAT conversation and you add championships to the mix, you have to understand the history of the game.”

Basketball debates have been a key piece in the fabric of the men’s game for a long time, and Clark sparking a nuanced debate surrounding the women’s game at the end of the day is a positive for the sport overall.

Clark and the Hawkeyes face off against Connecticut in the Final Four on Friday at 9:00 p.m. ET.