Caitlin Clarke is this year’s most infamous athlete. The Indiana Fever WNBA player burst onto the scene with a historic rookie season, breaking records and sparking passion for women’s basketball from sports fans of all stripes. Today, his name was Time 100 Athlete of the Year
© Sarah SteerIn an interview with the magazine, Clark described his basketball season as “historic”.
“I’ve been able to captivate a lot of people who have never watched a women’s game, let alone women’s basketball, and turn them into fans,” she said.
While there is a lot of pressure associated with becoming an overnight sports icon, Clark looks back on her season and her accomplishments with joy and pride, something that will benefit the future of women’s basketball and women’s sports as a whole.
“You feel stronger,” she said. “Instantly, everybody goes crazy. People are invested in the game, they love the game, and that’s what makes it so much fun for me. These people aren’t supporting women’s sports to check a box. It’s going to be the new normal.”
Clark discussed a number of topics, from newfound media attention to her college basketball experience and the challenges of adjusting to the WNBA, where she played at the University of Iowa.
“Professional players and professional coaches — this is no disrespect to women’s college basketball — are a lot smarter,” Clark said. “I love women’s college basketball. But if you go back and look at the way people guarded me in college, it’s almost, like, They didn’t trap me, and it’s so hard those women will never play basketball again in their lives.”
© Greg RiversClark’s future
When discussing his achievements this year, his snub from the Paris Olympics was inevitable. Although he understood that other veterans were prioritized, Clark revealed that this is now one of his main motivations to qualify for the 2028 Olympics.
He called the Paris boycott a “blessing”, which “will certainly inspire me throughout my career.”
© Matthew Holst