Jay Williams doubles down on Caitlin Clark's GOAT status, deflects opinion on Angel Reese

Caitlin Clark hasn’t won a championship, and that’s why Jay Williams won’t call her a GOAT.

The Iowa star never played a minute in the WNBA but has revolutionized the women’s college basketball scene despite coming up short against LSU in the championship game last season. In Williams’ eyes, Clark does have a long, successful career ahead of her with a great shot at her becoming one of the all-time greats. Until she wins that title, though, it’s hard for him to slot her among the best of the best in the game’s history.

Williams spent some time in Baton Rouge with LSU’s Angel Reese on Wednesday and was asked if she was great. After all, she won a title. Wouldn’t she meet the criteria? “I think there are levels of greatness to a lot of players,” Williams deflected. He continued.

“We were talking about greatest and when I hear people talk about GOATS, right? For me, I’m like, I’m like, Okay, you want to be a goat, like, fine. There are levels of greatness. You’ve got to win championships to be a GOAT. So when people want to don her as the greatest, I’m like, let’s slow down. I’ve seen Diana Taurasi, I’ve seen Breanna Stewart and you can sit there and tell me all day long while she’s playing with other great players. Okay, great — championships. That’s how we measure greatness overall.”

Droves of fans have come out in disagreement of Williams’ opinion in recent days, as even some of the WNBA’s finest have come to Clark’s aid. Former WNBA All-Star Rebecca Lobo called Clark the greatest scorer in the history of the women’s game — someone who elevates their squad to new heights.

At the same time, it’s not like Williams said she wasn’t a game-changing athlete or that she isn’t the poster star of women’s basketball. In his original statement — he actually complimented her.

“Okay, I think she is the Stephen Curry of women’s college basketball,” Williams said last Saturday during ESPN’s College GameDay. “I think she has changed the dynamics of the way the game is played. I think the way she plays, the pizzaz, like, she’s probably the most prolific scorer the game of basketball has ever seen. I am unwilling — and maybe it’s the Kobe mentorship around me — to say that she is great yet. In my opinion, it has to culminate with your team winning a championship.”

Whether you agree with Williams or not, there’s no denying Clark’s abilities when she laces up her shoes cannot be replicated. The same can be said about Angel Reese, but at the same time, she has the ring that Williams is looking for in an all-time great.