Basketball fans on social media have lambasted ESPN after they decided to leave Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, the face of the WNBA, off their top five women’s college players of all time list

There can be no doubt; Caitlin Clark is the face of the WNBA.

However, that has not stopped ESPN from subbing the Indiana Fever star from a recent top five women’s college basketball players of all time list. During her collegiate days, Clark was unstoppable for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

While she was never able to celebrate winning a National Championship crown, she finished up her college career as a unanimous three-time first-team All-American and the NCAA’s Division I all-time scoring record – feats which led to her being drafted first overall by the Fever last year in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Since making the step up to the pros, Clark has helped improve the viewing figures of the WNBA, increasing its popularity in the process. However, due to her not having won a National Championship, ESPN’s trio of college basketball analysts Same Ravech, Ari Chambers and Alexa Philippou believe she should not be in the conversation when it comes to the top five women’s collegiate players of all time.

Clark did make two National Championship game appearances in 2022 and 2023, but on both occasions, the Hawkeyes were defeated by LSU and South Carolina respectively. Instead, the trio opted for a quintet of, from first to fifth, Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Cheryl Miller.

While there was no doubt they belonged in the conversation, fans on social media could not believe what they were listening to after they decided to leave off Clark, who is a generational talent.

And it also prompted them to accuse ESPN of engagement baiting, claiming the broadcaster was happy to use the title “Is Caitlin Clark The Greatest Of All Time In College Basketball?” before leaving her off the list.

One YouTube user commented: “Can‘t make clicks without putting Caitlin Clark in the title and on the thumbnail LOL. And that‘s exactly why she‘s the GOAT.”

A second added: “If Caitlin Clark isn’t in contention because she didn’t when the NCAA Championship, then why are you click baiting us with the title to this show? Very disingenuous ESPN. Getting views and trashing CC. Let’s not forget Iowa was BIG TEN Champions and made it to the finals two years in a row, that isn’t easy.”

A third said: “If Clark had taken the easy way out and gone to UCONN or SC she would have won 4 straight National Championships.”

And a fourth noted: “Caitlin Clark is the single greatest individual player in the history of women’s college basketball. Period.”