Caitlin Clark has established her status as a leading figure in the women’s basketball circuit. Amidst her sustained rise in recent times, the 22-year-old revealed what motivated her to excel in college. During her latest interview with Good Morning America, the Iowa Hawkeyes sensation shed light on her Michael Jordan-esque surge.
Reflecting on her success with Team USA over the years, she pointed out a setback from the national setup as the major source of motivation. Despite clinching the gold medal in the Under-16 Championship in 2017, Clark failed to break into the Under-17 team during the following year. It shattered her heart, yet sparked a “fire” within her, paving the way for a remarkable comeback.
“Honestly, I hurt my pinkie but I kept playing…but also I just played really bad. I didn’t deserve to be on the team…That’s one of the lowest points of my basketball career…I think it really allowed me to find another fire and I think it pushed me to work even harder and get better and want to prove people wrong,” she mentioned.
The disappointment in high school seems to have played a massive role in her rise. Alongside cementing her status in women’s college basketball, Clark later led Team USA to two goal medals in the Under-19 championships. This turnaround shared major similarities with Jordan’s journey as the hist would go on to point out.
How the tale of Michael Jordan gave rise to a similar narrative
MJ surprised the world during a 1991 ceremony when he initially pointed out his misery in high school as the source of his surge as an athlete. As a sophomore in Laney High School, the Black Jesus lost out on a place on the varsity team to his close friend Leroy Smith. The team’s then head coach, Pop Herring, preferred the latter due to his statue of 6ft 7″ compared to Jordan’s 5ft 9″.
Recalling the instance on Jay Leno Show on September 16, 1997, MJ mentioned, “Everybody goes through disappointments, it’s how you overcome those disappointments. I just wasn’t good enough. In terms of the best thing that could happen to me was to get cut, cause it made me go back and get caught up with my skill level at my height”.
Consequently, it kickstarted a phenomenal rise of Jordan in the high school circuit and later in college basketball. This led to him earning a spot in the 1984 Olympics team which eventually clinched the gold medal in the tournament. Following that, his entry into the NBA initiated a new chapter as the shooting guard became an era-defining figure.
Interestingly, Clark has had a nearly similar trajectory with the data pointing towards a certain success in the upcoming WNBA years. She has already led the NCAA twice in assists and twice in scoring in the process of becoming the all-time highest scorer in the circuit. Hence, the fans are set to keep a close eye on her performances for years to come as the Iowa-born could disrupt the league.