"She's Larry Bird and Magic Johnson rolled into a female packet": $3.1M NIL-valued Caitlin Clark gets compared to all-time greats by Jason Whitlock

Caitlin Clark has received plenty of praise and plaudits amid a record-breaking season at Iowa. Former ESPN analyst Jason Whitlock is the latest to jump on the bandwagon and wax lyrical on Clark, who has NIL deals worth $3.1 million as per On3.

On his Fearless podcast, Whitlock suggested that Clark is a mix of NBA greats Larry Bird and Magic Johnson when the duo played college basketball at Indiana State and Michigan State, respectively.

"We had barely heard of Clark last season. This year, she has been the biggest star in all of college athletics. She's 1979 Larry Bird and Magic Johnson rolled into a female package. You remember Bird and Magic? And the magic they created and carried on to the NBA? Women's college hoops has that in Caitlin Clark," Whitlock said.

"They could do what Magic and Larry did for college basketball and for the NBA and just for men's basketball in general. Do you know what a mess the NBA was before Magic and Larry?"

"Magic and Larry took things to the next level. That's what Caitlin Clark could do. Magic and Larry they met in the NCAA championship game in 1979 and then took their acts to the NBA," he added.

Clark has been in the spotlight this season for her exceptional performances at Iowa. She surpassed Pete Maravich's 3,667 points in Iowa's final regular-season game against the Ohio State Buckeyes to become the NCAA's leading scorer. She currently sits on top of the pile with 3,771 points.

In her final season of March Madness with Iowa, Clark will be aiming to extend her lead and bring home the championship.

Caitlin Clark will want to end Iowa's sojourn on a high by winning NCAA championship

Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament: Championship

Clark will leave Iowa as a legend regardless of how the team fares in this year's March Madness. However, she will want to end her stint with an NCAA championship.

The Hawkeyes have never won the NCAA title but came closest last year when they lost 102-85 against LSU in the final.

This year, Clark and the Hawkeyes will be eager to go that one step further.