LeBron James, Caitlin Clark break all-time records in NBA and NCAA basketball

Read the Full Transcript

• John Yang:

  To historic milestones in basketball this weekend, last night, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers became the first NBA player to score more than 40,000 points in his career. He did it with this spin move, drive to the basket.

  And this afternoon on a foul shot. Caitlin Clark of the University of Iowa became the new all-time NCAA scoring leader for both men and women breaking a record set more than a half century ago by Pete Maravich at Louisiana State.

  Christine Brennan is USA Today columnist. Christine put this both his accomplishment this afternoon. And the player in perspective, how big a deal is this and how good issue.

• Christine Brennan, USA Today:

  John, you know, the person with the most points in the history of major college basketball is a woman. And I never in a million years would have thought I would have been able to say that sentence.

  The fact that Caitlin Clark has come along at this time in our nation's history, you and I have talked about Title Nine a few times over the years 52nd anniversary coming up this summer. We as a nation, we have fallen in love with what we've created the opportunity for girls and women to play sports. And it would be inevitable that someone like Caitlin Clark would come along just an absolutely electric basketball player, a terrific role model, a great person and has had a run that we may not see in sports, men's women's basketball, other sports, John, in many, many months or years to come.

  In other words, just this incredible ability to hit those threes logo threes. It is a bit unfortunate that it was a foul shot. But she had many threes in the game and a big victory for Iowa over Ohio State rival. They wanted to win the game on senior night — senior day. So there was a lot going on, and she has more games yet to go. So she will put that number even higher, and maybe out of reach for others coming after her.

• John Yang:

  You mentioned the significance that a woman has now the all-time scoring leader. Talk about the fact that this is a record that stood for so long, almost more than half a century. Right

• Christine Brennan:

  Right. Pistol Pete Maravich, I remember as a girl watching him play, he was prolific. He was spectacular. He was exciting. And in fact, in many ways people have said to Caitlin Clark watch videos of Pistol Pete because you are so much like him.

  And so that's a perfect analogy. And also the fact that we're talking I know there are people out there shock of all shocks John that maybe aren't loving this maybe guys who are thinking wait, wait a minute here. And you know what, it's the conversation has brought Pistol Pete back to — into our consciousness. Tragically, he passed away in 1988, 14 years before Caitlin Clark was even born as he was 40 years old. And the fact that we are talking about him and bringing him back and telling kids about him is fantastic.

  Now this the stepping stones in our nation's history and culture as we look at the advancement of women in sports, in a male domain basketball, it's pretty much been a guy's club, in the sense of we talked about, you know, we don't use the adjective man's often when we talk about basketball. You people talk about doing their bracket when there of course are two brackets, plural, and I would guess a lot of people will be doing a woman's bracket this year in the NCAA March Madness.

  Nonetheless, as Caitlin Clark has been breaking through all of this with a smile and with joy, and with happiness that has brought literally millions of people along for the ride with her.

• John Yang:

  She's going into the WNBA draft, what's your potential impact on the on the league?

• Christine Brennan:

  I think it's significant and will happen right away. I was checking the ticket prices on StubHub of games in Washington. So she'll be with the Indiana Fever, they have the number one draft pick, and they'll take her and she'll be playing professionally starting in May. And I looked at one there was one game just a normal game was $75 on StubHub, but Caitlin Clark game in other words, Indiana at Washington at the Mystics, $400 for a seat, and that was literally within 24 hours of the announcement that she was going pro.

  She will be a presence in our kid's lives, and in the lives of so many Americans now for years to come as a superstar because now of course, she has a place to play professional basketball in the WNBA. And she will raise the consciousness and the exposure of the WNBA, I think, to new heights because she is that kind of person who's going to bring so many people with her wherever she is playing.

• John Yang:

  Now let's turn to men's basketball, LeBron James 40,000 points in his career, how big a deal is that?

• Christine Brennan:

  No one's ever done it. It's a number he has said himself. You know, it's a big number, obviously, and it's a round number. He said that that's not the most important thing, John in his career, but it is a milestone that he celebrated, and that this sport of basketball is having a heck of a weekend.

  And you know, so there's that. What does it mean? It's longevity. This is a man who was drafted in the NBA right out of high school in 2003, 18 years old. And all what he's done now is he's 39. He'll turn 40 December 30. What he has done is shown how to play the game with class and grace and of course incredible talent. A great teammate, he passes the ball. Caitlin Clark incredible assists. LeBron James incredible assists, playmakers, teammates, willing to showcase other teammates as well, not just the star of the show, so to speak.

  And the fact that he passed Kareem Abdul Jabbar last year that for the most the highest score in in NBA history, and now this year, just setting that new mark. It is fantastic. And for of course, he's had four NBA titles, one of them in his hometown or basically hometown of Cleveland, came back to Cleveland, the Akron area is where he's from to give northern Ohio that championship, just a spectacular person, one of the greatest athletes we have ever seen. And he deserves absolutely all the accolades that he is getting as well.

• John Yang:

  Christine Brennan of USA Today on a big weekend for basketball. Thank you very much.

• Christine Brennan:

  John, thank you.