If you don’t believe Caitlin Clark is the greatest women’s college basketball player ever, then prepare to face the wrath of Jim Boeheim.
The former Syracuse men’s basketball coach and current ESPN/ACC Network/SiriusXM analyst joined Dan Dakich’s daily show Don’t @ Me on OutKick Monday morning. During the interview, Boeheim labeled Clark must-see television. Boeheim noted that he still enjoys watching Steph Curry, but if he can only watch one basketball game, he’s checking the schedule to see if Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes are in action.
But Boeheim took his Clark fandom even further by claiming he doesn’t like when analysts hold her lack of a championship against her. Like, really doesn’t like it.
“Some expert says, ‘Well, she hasn’t won a championship.’ If I ever see that guy, I’ll just punch him,” Boehim told Dakich. “Unless he’s really big. I won’t do it if he’s really big. But, these people, how do they get even get jobs saying stuff like that?
“You know, there should be certain things you say that disqualifies you from ever being on radio or TV again. And to bring that up with Caitlin Clark or Karl Malone or John Stockton or people like that, they make their teams so much better. And without them, the Utah Jazz wouldn’t have won too many games without those two guys.”
Last month, Jay Williams garnered attention when he refused to call Clark “great” after she became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball.
“I am unwilling… to say that she is great yet,” Williams said. “I think she’s the most prolific scorer the game has ever seen. I hold great, or the levels of immortality or the pantheon, to when you win championships.”
In the ensuing week, Williams doubled and tripled down on the fact that he wouldn’t call Clark the greatest of all time because she doesn’t have a championship. Williams wasn’t alone in arguing against the Iowa star being the best women’s college basketball player ever, but his take certainly received the most attention, which is presumably why Boeheim felt the need to threaten any analyst who slights Clark for lacking a championship.
Boeheim is 6 foot 3, Williams is 6 foot 2. So, it’s reasonable to assume Boeheim doesn’t consider Williams “really big.” If Shaquille O’Neal says “Well, she hasn’t won a championship,” Boeheim might let it slide. But Williams? Well, it sounds like Boeheim is challenging Williams to a fight over the ESPN analyst’s Caitlin Clark hot take.
[OutKick]
