Kelsey Plum wants greatness for Caitlin Clark, but she says she needs to be prepared for what comes after the records fall.
Caitlin Clark is college basketball royalty personified. She is the heartbeat of Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball, and after a mind-blowing run during the 2023 NCAA Tournament, she’s a household name. Hoops fans are all in on whatever Clark does, including ridiculous shots and State Farm commercials. But, heavy is the head that wears the crown, something Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum knows all too well.
While Plum is a two-time WNBA champion, she says transitioning from college to the pros was difficult. With her all-time NCAA scoring record (3,527) on pace to be broken by Clark this season, she’s warning her of what comes next.
Caitlin Clark (2,954 pts) is currently on track to break Kelsey Plum's scoring record (3,527 pts) in 19.35 games.
Here is how that looks on the schedule…
Game 18: vs Michigan (Feb 15)
Game 19: at Indiana (Feb 22)
Game 20: vs Illinois (Feb 25)— Kyle Huesmann (@HuesmannKyle) November 27, 2023
Per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Plum expressed concern about who Caitlin Clark is as a person getting lost in the shuffle of earning the scoring title:
“I feel like people started caring less about the game and more about just the individual points,” Plum said. “You can play really well and score 15, 20 points and have a great game and people will be like, ‘Aw, it was only a 20-point game.’ It was tough for me because I felt like I lost a little bit of my identity and it ultimately led to a tough transition into the (WNBA) because the expectations were so high. So, if anything, I’d try to send her as much compassion and love as I can and I hope the people around her are checking in with her … because it’s going to be tough to feel like you’re just playing basketball.”
