Iowa star guard Caitlin Clark is the star of a new commercial that will run the entire 2024 March Madness.
Before the Hawkeyes began their first-round game against No. 16 seed Holy Cross on Saturday, State Farm, an insurance company with which Clark has an NIL deal, aired a commercial solely focused on her.
The commercial features a montage of Clark throughout this season and is based on the idea of "greatness."
For Caitlin Clark, who has an On3 NIL valuation of $3.1 million, the ad is probably the creative culmination of a season where she broke the all-time women's point record and, a few weeks later, became the highest point scorer in the history of Division I basketball.
The commercial also features a voiceover from Lisa Leslie, regarded as one of the greatest women's basketball players ever. After graduating from USC, where she set a school record for most blocked shots in a single season, she was involved in the first WNBA draft in 1997, going to the Los Angeles Sparks, the team that Leslie would spend her whole career at.
During her 12-season in the league, Leslie led the Sparks to back-to-back WNBA titles in 2001 and 2002. She won three MVP awards, alongside a whole host of other awards.
Leslie is always included in a list of the best players in WNBA history, so it is fitting she is involved in a commercial that features one of the best current players in women's basketball.
But can Clark achieve "greatness" and win a national championship?
Caitlin Clark and the NCAA Tournament
Caitlin Clark has won many awards and achieved many records and feats as a player.
As part of the Iowa Hawkeyes, she has clinched three consecutive Big Ten championships. While this achievement is something to be proud of, a player of her qualities should be in contention for national titles.
In 2023, the Hawkeyes had a successful NCAA Tournament, reaching the national championship game against the LSU Tigers. In that matchup, Clark scored a record eight 3-pointers, which gave her 191 total points for the tournament, which is another all-time record. However, while Clark delivered, the Hawkeyes fell at the final hurdle, losing 102-85.
Clark and the Hawkeyes will want to avenge this loss and win this year's national championship.
To do this, they will have to overcome the Tigers, who are in the same section, before most likely facing the unbeaten South Carolina Gamecocks in the national championship game.
If Caitlin Clark can become a national champion in her final college season, greatness will be assured.
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