"Bigger sports figure than Kobe Bryant": Fans react as Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement ratings dwarf Lakers legend's historic night

Fans reacted to Caitlin Clark's jersey retirement game between Iowa and USC garnering 1.1 million viewership on Fox. The numbers were much better than NBA legend Kobe Bryant's jersey retirement ceremony, on December 18, 2017, which garnered 622,000 on NBA TV.

The viewership speaks volumes about Clark's impact on drawing the crowd. Iowa vs USC on Feb. 3 was also the second-most-watched game in the NCAA history.

Reacting to the comparison drawn with the Lakers legend's jersey retirement ceremony, one fan made a bold claim:

"I'm gonna tell you an honest truth. It might be unpopular for now but 5-8 years from today everybody will agree with me. Caitlin Clark is going to end up being a bigger sports figure than Kobe Bryant. Bookmark this," the fan wrote.

A fan confidently called Clark the face of women's basketball.

"Stop trying to anger the slows O.Z the leagues biggest draw commands attention. The face of women’s basketball !!!" the fan wrote.

Meanwhile, a fan was bewildered by the viewership, calling the numbers "insane."

"This is an insane number. Insane!" the fan wrote.

However, there were also some fans who downplayed the numbers. A fan pointed out that Bryant's jersey retirement ceremony was on NBA TV, which people didn't have access to.

"Can’t really compare cause everybody didn’t have access to NBA TV," the fan wrote.

Some made claims that the viewership increased just because of Clark's presence in the game and wanted the spotlight to continue on her.

"Simply cause she was in the house," the fan wrote.

"She wasn’t even playing in the game 😭 CC EFFECT CANT BE DENIED!" the fan wrote.

"She’s the ONLY star that people want to see and celebrate! Nothing wrong with that as she deserves it. Let the spotlight continue to shine on CC!," the fan wrote.

Kelsey Mitchell drops big fact about Caitlin Clark's fandom

On Jan. 7, Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever teammate Erica Wheeler debuted her Easy Buckets podcast. The first guest on her show was her teammate Kelsey Mitchell, who also signed an extension with the Fever this offseason.

Showing love to Clark's fanbase, Mitchell said:

“I think that, experiencing it, I love Caitlin Clark fans. But Caitlin Clark’s fans are different. They are very passionate people and they gone ride or die."

Later, Mitchell added that she was happy that she was Clark's teammate.

“They’ll go everywhere she goes. Let’s just say CC I’m happy, I’m on the right end of it. Caitlin Clark fans, I love you back, I promise," she added.

At this point, Clark has placed herself among the biggest names in the WNBA and her jersey retirement was just another testament to it.