NCAA star Caitlin Clark has registered her name in the history books. She surpassed the former Washington Huskies guard Kelsey Plum, scoring an exceptional 49 points against the Michigan Wolverines. Now Clark has 3,569 points, the highest ever in women’s college basketball, and is also closing in on Pete Maravich’s NCAA record. Although she has cemented her place as one of the best women’s college basketball players, how does it translate when one steps into the big leagues? Is it easy to rule the charts in college basketball?

A more detailed comparison with one of the best athletes to ever step on the basketball court – Michael Jordan – paints a better picture.

Michael Jordan and Caitlin Clark put next to each other

Jordan represented the North Carolina Tar Heels from 1981-84. He plied his trade for three years before being drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. The six-time NBA champion won the NCAA championship during his first year. Jordan wasn’t the team leader, yet he was a key player.

Jordan made a 16-foot jump shot against Georgetown during the NCAA Championship game with 15 seconds left. As he later acknowledged, that was one of the turning points in his career. He averaged 13.5 points per game with 4.4 rebounds per match and 1.8 assists per contest.

The following year, Jordan assumed a more dominant role. He averaged a whopping 20 points per game with 5.5 rebounds per contest and 1.6 assists per game. It would be safe to say that Jordan was good with offense and had a decent defensive skillset. 

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Then, in his last year, Jordan decimated 19.6 points per match with 5.3 rebounds per game and 2.1 assists per contest. He successfully played the role of a central player for the Tar Heels once again. For his swoon-worthy performances, Jordan won the Naismith and Wooden College Player of the Year.

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Overall, he averaged 17.7 points per game with 5 rebounds per match and 1.8 assists per contest. In terms of totals, Jordan smashed 1788 points during his three years and grabbed 509 rebounds and 181 assists. Clark, on the other hand, has dominated the college circuit like a pro.

In comparison, Clark averaged 26.6 points per match in her first year. Additionally, she had 5.9 rebounds per match and 7.1 assists per game. Clark became a central player for the Hawkeyes ever since her first year. Her decision to be a mentee of Lisa Bluder has been evidently fruitful.

During her second year with the Hawkeyes, Clark smoked 27 points per game with 8 rebounds per match and 8 assists per game. In comparison to Jordan, Clark has a better average in all three departments of points, rebounds, and assists. While Jordan was not much of an assist maker during his college years, Clark also played the role of a second fiddle whenever opponents screened her.

During her third year with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark averaged 27.8 points per game with 7.1 rebounds per contest and 8.6 assists per match. Clark bagged all the major college Player of the Year awards this season. And now, in the NCAA 2023-24 regular season, Clark has battered an exceptional 32.8 points per game with 6.9 rebounds per match and 8.5 assists per contest.

As evident from the comparison, Clark became the key player in the first year itself, whereas Jordan came to the fore for his team from the second year onwards. Clark also had a higher ceiling in points, rebounds, and assists average, whereas Jordan did well with points and rebounds but didn’t play the role of a second fiddle much. Done and dusted, pro leagues are a different gravy, and it remains to be seen if Clark can carry her on-song performances to the WNBA.

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