I’ll Pick Gigi Bryant Over Caitlin Clark, Says Georgia Bulldogs Star Who Met With Kobe Bryant’s Late Daughter (Exclusive)

“That size with Bryant’s skill is an absolutely terrifying combination of a young dynamo,” wrote USA Today of Kobe Bryant’s daughter Gianna Bryant. Something that was evident in her performance on the hardwood as well. She is said to be so good that when she was 11, college coaches encouraged her father to have her attend their games and join their teams. And recently, when we got the opportunity to sit with a certain Georgia Bulldogs star, she made her stance explicit in favor of Gigi over the WNBA No. 1 draft pick.

When EssentiallySports got down to an exclusive chat with the Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger, who had met Gigi, we asked her who she would pick. Avinger, without further ado, shared with our correspondent BG12 that she would choose Bryant over Clark and gave her reason for the same. Let us have a look at that.

Asia Avinger: “Yes. I am gonna have to put her over Caitlin, for sure. I, personally, have met her and I just know exactly what she was capable of. Like, she was gonna, she was gonna dominate. She was gonna be the next face for sure.”

Notably, Kobe had started the Mamba Academy in 2018 with Chad Faulkner where Avinger worked as a coaching assistant. Hence, she might be well accustomed to Gigi’s game and her potential which she might have witnessed firsthand. As mentioned previously, Gigi had impressed college coaches, and she continued to record stellar performances. She had also shown her talent at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).

By the age of 12, she was already taller than her mother. Hence, many opine that she would have reached near Kobe’s 6 foot 6 inches height by the time she reached college and combined with Kobe’s skill, would have brought a new wave in the sport with much popularity and acclaim to women’s basketball. Therefore, it was a loss for the balling world when she passed away with her father and seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California in January 2020. Meanwhile, women’s basketball should be thankful to Clark for now.

Caitlin Clark is leading the baton in women’s basketball

Clark has taken the WNBA to another level in terms of both her performances and her popularity. She became the first rookie in the W to score a triple-double when she accomplished the feat during a game against the New York Liberty in July. Plus, she also set the record for the highest assists in a single game in the W when she scored 19 during a game against the Dallas Wings later that month.

As for her popularity, Clark has brought her NCAA audience to the WNBA which has helped exponentially increase the projected revenue of all the WNBA franchises. On top of that, most of her home games have been a sell-out with the WNBA All-Star game this year averaging 3.442 million viewers on ABC.

Though it is difficult to know if Gigi would have crossed Clark, fans can get an estimate with Avinger’s answer, and put that debate to rest for some time. Meanwhile, as of now, they can watch old videos of Kobe in action and reminisce about the good times he gave his admirers.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.