February 15, 2024, will always mean something extra in Iowa. On that night inside a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Caitlin Clark etched her name into history by becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in men’s and women’s basketball. She passed Washington legend Kelsey Plum with her 3,528th career point against Michigan, turning an ordinary game into a moment Iowa fans will never forget.

When the USC Trojans men’s basketball team arrived at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for their Big Ten clash against the Hawkeyes, they made sure to honor Caitlin Clark with a special tribute. The gesture did not go unnoticed and even earned praise from basketball legend Lisa Leslie.

“I love this! My @uschoops better put some respect on the Logo,” USC alum Lisa Leslie wrote after seeing the tribute. The moment came when the USC men’s team walked over to the exact spot where Caitlin Clark broke the all-time NCAA scoring record and started taking shots during pregame warmups. That same 36-foot three had made history inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena!

Caitlin Clark entered that eventful night just eight points shy of history after dropping 31 in a loss at Nebraska. Against Michigan in her 126th game for Iowa, she wasted no time making her intentions clear. Clark knocked down Iowa’s first two shots and never took her foot off the gas, eventually claiming the top spot on the NCAA scoring list in vintage fashion by launching from the center-court logo and rattling home history.

Clark went on to pour in 49 points that night, shooting 16 of 31 from the field, as she helped Iowa improve to 12 and 2 in Big Ten play. She would later guide the Hawkeyes back to another championship game before carrying that momentum into a record-setting start to her WNBA career.

On the men’s side, USC suffered a heartbreaking one-point loss to Iowa. The Trojans shot 33 percent from beyond the arc, a noticeable improvement from their previous outing against Wisconsin, where they connected on just 25 percent from deep.

Even after moments like these, some still argue that Caitlin Clark and other WNBA players are not worthy of the salaries they are pushing for.

Former Volleyball Player Throws Shade at Caitlin Clark and WNBA Stars

The basketball world is now waiting to see whether the WNBA is headed toward a lockout or if the league and the players’ union can reach an agreement in time to avoid missing games, something that has never happened in the league’s history. As tensions continue to rise, former volleyball player and social media personality Pearl Davis added fuel to the fire with a controversial comment.

“I think they deserve less money. Less money. Because I’ve seen the entitlement firsthand. I was in those gyms, so I know nobody’s going,” Pearl Davis said when asked whether WNBA players deserve the pay they are seeking. She made the remarks on Episode 2 of Journalisming, hosted by Jack Mac.

Davis also attempted to downplay Caitlin Clark’s rise, adding, “Caitlin Clark is famous because she was going back and forth with Reese, or whatever her name is.”

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It is disappointing that while men’s basketball programs are taking time to honor everything Caitlin Clark has done for the sport, there are still people who reduce her popularity to a rivalry with Angel Reese. Women’s basketball will not continue to grow if women themselves refuse to support and uplift one another.