Caitlin Clark, No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes senior guard, recreated an iconic photo Sunday.
The NCAA's leading scorer in both men's and women's basketball led the Hawkeyes to their third consecutive Big Ten conference championship Sunday, defeating Nebraska 94-89 in overtime. Clark finished the game with 34 points, 30 of which came from the second half.
With her latest piece of hardware secured, Clark drew inspiration from Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant by recreating photos he took in 2001 after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in his second consecutive NBA championship.
Bri Lewerke, a freelance photographer, captured the image while on assignment for a podcast network called "Beyond the Big 10."
After the game, Lewerke was instantly reminded of the Larry O'Brien Trophy that Bryant held due the similar size and design.
Iconic. @CaitlinClark22 x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/7fjKqh9wbO
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 10, 2024
Lewerke approached Clark during the celebration and asked if they could recreate the Bryant pose.
Clark agreed to the idea and went to the locker room.
"I think it's an opportunity to pay homage to one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and Kobe was also a huge supporter of women's sports and women's basketball specifically," Lewerke told ESPN. "That tie in there is really special."
Because the trophy was heavier than expected, the photo where Clark was holding the trophy was the most difficult, Lewerke told ESPN.
Lewerke said she's been following Clark's career since high school.
"Being from Iowa, everybody knew about Caitlin Clark," Lewerke said.
Clark wore Bryant's Nike signature shoes throughout her record-breaking season, favoring the Kobe 5's and 6's specifically.
Clark sported the Mambacitas on Feb. 11 when she broke the NCAA's assist record and became the only player in NCAA history to record 3,000 points and 1,000 assists.
She broke the NCAA's scoring record while wearing the Kobe 5 "Bruce Lee" edition Feb. 15.