The NCAA women's basketball account put out a tribute video on X this week, celebrating four former college stars now lighting up the WNBA. Surprisingly, Caitlin Clark's name never came up, and analyst Skip Bayless wants to know why.

The video praised A'ja Wilson, Paige Bueckers, Olivia Miles, and Angel Reese for records they have set this season. Clark, one of the biggest names in the sport, was nowhere to be found.

"I would like to know who exactly, working for the NCAA, chose to post praise of the recent pro exploits of several former college stars while omitting Caitlin Clark's recent achievements,” Bayless wrote on X on August 27.

Bayless questioned whether the omission was intentional, and his post quickly drew attention because Clark's name was absent from a video specifically celebrating former college stars making an impact in the WNBA.

“This screams intentional. Who was responsible and why?," Bayless added on his X post.

Reported by College Basketball Network, the four players in the video all had notable accomplishments to their names. Wilson became just the second player in WNBA history, after Diana Taurasi, to reach 100 career games with 25 or more points.

Bueckers got there faster than anyone else, hitting 1,400 points and 400 assists quicker than any player in WNBA history.

Miles sits second all-time in rookie assists, and Reese owns both the single-game and single-season rebounding records. Left off that list is a player currently averaging 22.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 8.3 assists a night.

Clark's omission stands out because she is putting together a historic season of her own.

The 24-year-old is the only player in league history with five career games of 30 points and 10 assists, and she leads everyone with nine 20-point, 10-assist performances.

She's also on pace to become the first player ever to average 20 points and 8 assists across a full season heading into the playoffs.

Linda Cohn questions why the NCAA left Caitlin Clark out

Bayless wasn't the only one questioning the omission. ESPN's Linda Cohn responded to the NCAA's post with a similar concern, arguing that the organization could have celebrated the four players without leaving Clark out.

"You got to be kidding me. You don't have to ignore and exclude the game's biggest star in Caitlin Clark in order to praise others? Why can't you do both!?!?!?," Linda Cohn posted on her X on August 27.

It's a fair question given what Clark has already done. She's the leading scorer in Division I history, male or female, and holds the single-season three-point record for any Division I player.

In the pros, she owns the WNBA's single-game assist record and the rookie scoring mark, and holds the record for the most assists by any rookie.

She never won a title at Iowa, losing both Final Four trips, but her college numbers (28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 8.2 assists over 139 games) tell their own story, via Sports Reference.

So does the effect she had on the sport, packing arenas and pulling in TV audiences during her final Hawkeyes seasons in a way few college players ever have.

None of Clark's accomplishments disappear because one video left her out. But given what she has already achieved at both the college and professional levels, her absence from a tribute to former college stars is bound to raise questions.

What are your thoughts on the omission of Caitlin Clark? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Rudra Dubey