"The moment arrived and Caitlin Clark answered": Stephen A. Smith left in awe by $3.2M NIL-valued Iowa star following 41-point performance against LSU

9Caitlin Clark had another magnificent game in the Elite Eight as the Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the LSU Tigers, 94-87 to advance to the Final Four. Stephen A. Smith praised the Hawkeyes star, who has a name, image and likeness valuation of $3.2 million (per On3 Sports) for her performance on a big stage.

Speaking on ESPN's "First Take", the long-time sports television personality was asked what the Hawkeyes star proved.

He replied:

"Oh, that she's big time. That she's a superstar. That she's every bit as big time as we all suspected that she was... Greatness is about moments. We understand when you're great, but when you're compared to the great ones, it comes down to moments.

"Last night was a moment. That was what I kept emphasizing... Yes, we were looking at Iowa, but the world was looking for Caitlin Clark. What are you going to do in this moment?"

Smith added:

"What are you going to be able to do? And what does this girl Caitlin Clark do? She goes out and she puts on an absolute show... This is what you're looking for when you want to cement your status as a bonafide superstar on your level and last night... it just cements what greatness is supposed to be.

"In the end, the moment arrived and Caitlin Clark answered the call. It was a spectacular performance on her part. She was sensational."

Check out Stephen A. Smith's full comments below (starting at the 1:29 mark):

The NCAA's all-time leading scorer finished with 41 points, seven rebounds, 12 assists, two steals and one block while shooting 13-of-29 from the field, 9-of-20 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. Clark and the Hawkeyes will face the UConn Huskies next in the Final Four on Friday.

Caitlin Clark wins 2nd consecutive Naismith Women's College Player of the Year

Caitlin Clark had another magnificent season in her senior year of college. The Iowa Hawkeyes star, who broke the NCAA all-time scoring record, was named the Naismith Women's College Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. The Naismith Awards' official X/Twitter account shared the news:

"🚨 ATTENTION 🚨 : Caitlin Clark is the 2024 @jerseymikes Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year 🔥 @iowawbb | #JerseyMikesNaismith"

Clark had yet another stellar season as she led the nation in both scoring and assists, marking the third time in her career that she has finished atop the NCAA leaderboards in each category.

The Hawkeyes guard has averaged 32.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 9.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 46.0% from the field, 38.0% from 3-point range and 86.3% from the free-throw line.