Comparing Iowa's Caitlin Clark and LSU legend Pete Maravich - ESPN

Two days before Christmas 1969, Bill Walton first saw Pete Maravich in person.

A high school senior from San Diego headed to hoops immortality at UCLA, Walton watched at Pauley Pavilion as the LSU legend went through his pregame warmup drills.

«He was a genius,» Walton told ESPN. «And as is often the case with geniuses, they get bored very quickly. So he was constantly challenging himself. He was a showman, and he loved the show.»

Walton understands why people see similarities between Maravich and Iowa women's college basketball star Caitlin Clark, who is closing in on passing Maravich for the Division I men's and women's scoring mark. Maravich scored 3,667 points from 1967-70; Clark is at 3,617.

«When I watch her play, which is as often as possible, it just puts a giant smile on my face,» Walton said. «The beauty of basketball is that it's not all about size and strength. It's about skill, timing and position, and she has all of that stuff and more. She awes people with her imagination and creativity. She makes it fun.»

Maravich was born in 1947 and died at age 40 in 1988, 14 years before Clark was born. In that time, the world of basketball expanded enormously, including the modern-day women's game. Maravich's college career came before freshman eligibility, so he played just three seasons — 83 total games — at LSU. Before the 3-point shot and the shot clock, Maravich averaged 38.1 shots and 44.2 points per game. Clark, a senior, has averaged 19.9 shots and 28.3 points in 128 career games.

Walton said statistical comparisons between different eras in sports are problematic because of all the variables. But what players can mean to a sport, and how they make people feel while watching them are more comparable.

«Caitlin