"Being top 5 with not 1 title to your name is asinine": Fans spark fiery debate over Caitlin Clark’s place among women’s college basketball legends

WNBA fans were not happy with Caitlin Clark’s position on AP’s list of the greatest women’s college basketball legends. AP shared the list on its website on Thursday. X account @justwsports shared the publication’s first team on the platform.

Here are AP’s all-time women’s college basketball players first-team:

Caitlin Clark
Diana Taurasi
Candace Parker
Cheryl Miller
Breanna Stewart

Fans reacted to Clark being placed on the first team despite never winning an NCAA Championship with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Fans continued criticizing Clark’s position on the list, citing Chamique Holdsclaw’s record in college. Here are the most notable reactions on X:

“Being top five with not one title to your name is asinine,” one fan said.

Fans also suggested that Maya Moore would be more appropriate for the first team instead of Clark. The Fever guard spent four seasons with the Iowa Hawkeyes, averaging 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game.

Clark led the team to the NCAA Championship game in 2023 and 2024; she lost both games but won the AP Player of the Year award for both campaigns. She left as the all-time leading scorer in men's or women's college basketball with 3,951 points.

Caitlin Clark is set to return to action after an injury-riddled season with the Fever

Caitlin Clark played 13 games for the Indiana Fever in 2025 after suffering a series of injuries. Her last appearance was on July 15. Ever since, fans have been eagerly waiting for her return, and Clark is set to do so, although her next professional sports appearance will be outside basketball.

The Fever star will participate in the LPGA Tour event in Florida on Nov. 12, tournament officials announced on Thursday. Clark also attended last year's event, drawing a huge crowd.

Clark averaged 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists for Indiana this season, a step down from her performance in her rookie year. This is to be expected considering her recurring injuries. Despite her unavailability, the Fever qualified for the playoffs as the No. 6 seed and were one game away from the WNBA Finals.

While Caitlin Clark never won a title in college, she could be well on her way to winning one in the WNBA if the Fever can perform at a similar level after she returns in the 2026 season.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Sameer Khan