Kim Mulkey Said It All When Discussing Caitlin Clark's Winning Influence
Kim Mulkey, Angel Reese, and the LSU Tigers kept Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes from securing their women's basketball program's first-ever NCAA championship in 2023.
Despite that 102-85 national championship game loss, Clark still finished the game with 30 points and 8 assists.
And then the former Hawkeye and current Indiana Fever sensation got her revenge against Mulkey in 2024. Iowa and LSU rematched in the Elite Eight of the 2024 Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament, and Iowa earned a 94-87 win — which ended up being the final game of Angel Reese's college career.
Clark had a whopping 41 points (on nine made three-pointers), 12 assists, and 7 rebounds in that 2024 win. Although a clip of Mulkey talking about Clark after that game (which resurfaced on X Tuesday morning) conveys that Clark's winning impact isn't only shown through that stat sheet.
"She's just a generational player and she just makes everybody around her better," Mulkey said of Clark. "That's what the great ones do. I think they had a kid that scored 21 and 18, and [Clark] had 12 assists.
"Caitlin Clark is not going to beat you by herself," Mulkey continued. "It's what she does to make those other teammates better that helps her score points and them score points to beat you."
It’s not a coincidence Lexie had a career night. It’s not a coincidence Kelsey is shooting the highest shooting percentage of her career. It’s not a coincidence Boston is unlocking her assist potential and is even more dangerous. Kim Mulkey said it best after the Elite 8 Loss.… pic.twitter.com/JJ7LLEMdrU
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) August 20, 2024
This clip of Mulkey praising Clark resurfaced due to the Indiana Fever's recent wins since the WNBA's Olympics break; specifically their victory over the Seattle Storm on Sunday.
Anybody who has watched the Fever play recently (and across the entire WNBA season) has seen Clark's uncanny ability to not only find the open player on offense, but to also attract so much attention from opposing defenses that her teammates then become open.
This is why Lexie Hull had a career night on Sunday, and why Aliyah Boston has shown marked improvements from her 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year campaign.
And it's why opposing WNBA teams will fear the Fever from now throughout the rest of Clark's career in Indiana.
GRANT YOUNG
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.