WNBA stars A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark took walks down memory lane this weekend as their respective colleges honored the players by retiring their basketball jerseys.
Wilson, a three-time WNBA MVP, solidified her mark on the University of South Carolina on Sunday. Her No. 22 jersey was ascended to the rafters inside the Colonial Life Arena.
She’s the Gamecocks’ all-time leading scorer for the program and a three-time Southeastern Conference player of the year. Wilson helped the program win its first national title in 2017 and there’s a statue honoring her outside the main entrance of her college home court.
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“It’s a privilege to be a Gamecock, to be a part of this community,” Wilson said during the jersey retirement ceremony.
Meanwhile, another special No. 22 jersey was getting hung up in the rafters of a college arena a few states away.
Clark returned to her college home court at the University of Iowa on the same day as Wilson for a ceremony to honor her legacy and retire her jersey.
Clark’s impact on the Hawkeyes is impalpable. During her time with the program, she became college basketball’s all-time leading scorer and led the team to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA national championship game.
Her fandom put a spotlight on women’s basketball like never before, something that she has carried with her into the WNBA.
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“The positive image that you’ve brought to this basketball program, this university, this state, and women’s basketball nationally, is unmeasurable,” former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said during Clark’s jersey retirement ceremony. “I’ve spent my entire career trying to empower young women. That’s what it’s all about. But you’ve done more than that in the last four years, more than anyone can imagine.”
