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Caitlin Clark Channels Inner Kobe Bryant With Bruce Lee Tribute During March Madness Opener

Published 03/24/2024, 1:10 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Caitlin Clark’s historic run in the NCAA will continue as she led the Iowa Hawkeyes to the second round on Saturday. In a battle against the Holy Cross Crusaders, Clark secured a near triple-double to blow them out. But importantly, this game had a small Kobe Bryant tribute from her which stole the show. Interestingly, the 22-year-old not only channeled the Mamba Mentality but also gave a tribute to the famous Little Dragon.

As an ardent fan of the Los Angeles Lakers icon, Clark has worn the Kobe’s on the court at most times. However, in this game, there was a small twist to it. The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer wore Bruce Lee’s Kobe 5 while recording 27 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds. 

The dashing sneakers had three colors. Most of it was black and white, and there was a pinch of bright yellow, which was apt for her Hawkeyes jersey. Iowa will now face West Virginia tomorrow and let’s see if Clark can bring channel Mamba Mentality once again! 

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What’s noteworthy is that Clark wore another version of the Bruce Lee Kobe 5’s in the March Madness last season. It had a different shade with yellow as the majority and a few stripes of black. Anyhow, nothing might beat the Kobes she wore when she broke the historic NCAA record. 

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The iconic Kobe 6 which Caitlin Clark wore to break the NCAA record

Clark is having a wonderful season so far and as mentioned above, all of it involves a tribute to Kobe Bryant. When she surpassed WNBA star Kelsey Plum to become the NCAA scoring leader, the flashlights captured the famous Kobe 6 Protro ‘Del Sol’ colorway, which is a rare piece. In this game, she also dropped 49 points and 13 assists, to mark her name in the history of the tournament. Well, it’s only fair because, she not only wears the shoes of Mamba, but also plays like him, like a champion. 

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Clark led her team all the way to the national championship game last season, where they lost to Angel Reese and LSU. The 22-year-old star is back in the NCAA once again. The odds are favorable for the Hawkeyes ahead of their game against 8th-seed West Virginia tomorrow. What pair of Kobe’s do you think Clark will be wearing for the most awaited second round? The Kobe 5s or the Kobe 6s? 

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Written by:

Rohan Dharmalingam

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Rohan Dharmalingam is an NBA beat writer at EssentiallySports, who extensively covers the Lakers. Be it a multimillion dollar deal breaking or a classic throwback, Rohan has covered the many themes and formats. Most notably, his coverage received a shoutout from the Purple & Gold icon Shaquille O'Neal and the rap legend 50 Cent, on Instagram.
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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth