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Caitlin Clark is this year's most notorious athlete. The WNBA player for the Indiana Fever burst onto the scene with a historic rookie season, breaking records and igniting a passion for women's basketball from all kinds of sports fans. Today, she was named TIME 100's Athlete of the Year.
In an interview with the magazine, Clark described her basketball season as "historic."
"I've been able to captivate so many people that have never watched women's sports, let alone women's basketball, and turn them into fans,” she said.
While there's a lot of pressure linked with becoming an overnight sports icon, Clark sees her season and her achievements with joy and pride, something that will benefit the future of women's basketball and women's sports overall.
“You feel powerful,” she said. “Instantly, everybody goes crazy. People are invested in the game, they love the game, and that's what makes it so 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 many topics, from the newfound media attention to the challenges of adapting to WNBA coming from her experiences in college basketball, where she played in the University of Iowa.
"Professional players and professional coaches—this is no disrespect to college women's basketball—are a lot smarter,” said Clark. “I love women's college basketball. But if you go back and watch the way people guarded me in college, it's almost, like, concerning. They didn’t double me, they didn't trap me, they weren't physical. And it’s hard. It’s college. A lot of those women will never go on to play another basketball game in their life."
Clark's future
When discussing her achievements this year, her snub from the Paris Olympics was unavoidable. While she understood the fact that other veterans were prioritized, Clark revealed that it's now one of her main motivations to qualify for the 2028 Olympics.
She called the Paris exclusion a "blessing," one that “will definitely motivate me my entire career.”