Former NBA star Paul Pierce said he was only impressed by University of Iowa Hawkeyes female basketball star Caitlin Clark after she “beat a bunch of black girls” on the court on Monday in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in Albany, New York.
On Tuesday, Fox Sports “Undisputed Live“ hosts Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson were discussing Iowa’s 94-87 victory over the LSU Tigers (Louisiana State University) with the former NBA star, who said he was shocked by Clark’s performance in the 2024 March Madness round held at MVP Arena.
“We saw a white girl in Iowa do it to a bunch of black girls,” Pierce told the hosts. “That gained my respect. That gained my respect. Like, oh she didn’t do this to some other white girls over here in Colorado, or wherever.”
“She [Clark] did it to some girls from LSU, who we thought was some dogs, [the]defending (2023) champs,” he added. “She put them on her knee and spanked them. I didn’t expect that.”
“We saw a white girl in Iowa do it to a bunch of Black girls. That gained my respect…I didn’t expect that.” – Paul Pierce pic.twitter.com/StyugFiG67
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 2, 2024
Clark’s numbers after the matchup were incredibly impressive: she scored a total of 41 points, seven rebounds, and 12 assists during the game that advanced the Hawkeyes to the Final Four.
It is the first time in Iowa’s history that the Hawkeyes have gone back-to-back seasons to the Final Four. Last year, the championship game came down to the #3 Tigers beating out #2 Hawkeyes 102-85, a first in the Tigers program history, the NCAA noted.
“To get back here is really hard,” Clark told the press after the game. “This region was loaded with so much talent. Job’s not finished.”
The comments on the sports channel seemed to echo those of other players in the sports world who commented online about Iowa’s victory, ESPN noted.
“Bruhhhh Caitlyn [sic] Clark can’t be guarded !!!!!” San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuels wrote on X.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive star Chris Jones added, “The women’s basketball games are more exciting than the men.”
The Tennessee Titans’ Calvin Ridley wrote, “[Damn] she good,” in reference to Clark.
On Friday, the Hawkeyes travel to Cleveland, Ohio, to play the Connecticut Huskies in the Final Four round of the NCAA tournament.