Caitlin Clark has become one of the biggest names in basketball,
but it didn’t just happen overnight. Here's how a young soccer player from
Des Moines exploded into the breakout star of the NCAA.
Born in 2002, Caitlin Clark grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. When she first picked
up basketball at the age of 5, there were no girls' teams she could join at her advanced
level. Her parents instead enrolled her in boys' teams until she was in the sixth grade.
This move ultimately helped shape her on-court mannerisms, as her father, Brent, told Fox.
"The competitiveness, the assertiveness, she's very creative, had to be at a young age."
Clark told ESPN that her confidence on the court was also nurtured at home by her two brothers,
Blake and Colin Clark. Caitlin has also kept in touch with her old teammates,
some of whom have admitted to her that she was still the better player.
"Those are some of the boys that know I would beat them one-on-one,
so it's funny they would admit that, but it's honestly like I think a huge reason of who I am."
Having this competitive energy around her was in no way disheartening. As she said:
"I was always around, you know, boys that pushed me and wanted to play sports, and,
yeah, I think it was super special in my development. It was never something that
ever fazed me. It was just like, you know, I'm a girl, I can hold my own."
Clark became prominent in the basketball scene while playing on Iowa's Dowling Catholic High
School team, but she was talented in multiple sports before she settled on pursuing hoop dreams.
"Well honestly, growing up, like, I loved soccer too and I played every
sport basically like I ran track, I did softball, you know, soccer."
In fact, she was so good at soccer that she was named to the 2017 All-Iowa girls' soccer team.
So, what was it about basketball that stood out over other sports? She told
"Good Morning America" that basketball offered a competitive environment that she thrived in,
adding that it was also the easier sport to choose because of working with her father,
who was a basketball player himself at Simpson College in the '80s.
"My dad was my first ever basketball coach. Before every game I look at my
dad and I like give him a nod, he gives me a nod."
In 2017, 15-year-old Caitlin Clark beat out over 100 athletes to make it to
the USA Women's Under 16 basketball team.
"When they said 'Congratulations, you've made the team,' I had a big smile on my face."
That year, the team played a 91-46 game against Canada to secure the
FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship title.
The following year, Clark didn't make it on the Under-16 team,
but went on to play on the Under-19 team in 2019 and 2021. During both appearances,
she helped the team secure gold medals at the Women's Basketball World Cup.
In a November 2019 tweet, Caitlin Clark announced that she would be
committing to the University of Iowa. She said that choosing the Hawkeyes
over Notre Dame was a tough decision, but ultimately, it was the right one.
"But I felt in my heart, like, I had to be here, like, something was really pulling me here,
and obviously this is my home state, and I wanted to represent my state."
As the years passed, she could see a change in the size of the crowd that showed up for
games. The numbers gradually increased, and by the time her senior season came around,
their games' tickets were often sold out. Throughout her run as a Hawkeye,
Clark earned several accolades, including being named the National Player of the
Year back-to-back and MVP of the Big Ten tournament three years in a row.
It wasn't long before Clark struck up a friendship with her Hawkeye teammate,
starting center Monika Czinano. Czinano joined the University of Iowa basketball team in 2018,
and when Clark came along, the two quickly became an unstoppable force on the court.
"I think we're one of the best duos in college basketball."
Both players have spoken highly of each other. Czinano — who was selected by the Los Angeles
Sparks in the 2023 WNBA draft and released that same year – gushed about Clark as a person
and teammate during a press conference after losing in the 2023 National Championship game.
"We all know what a phenomenal basketball player she is,
but it's the person she is behind it all that's inspiring these kids as well."
During the emotional post-game brief, Czinano kept soothing a crying Clark.
In February 2024, Caitlin Clark officially cemented
herself in college basketball history by accumulating 3,650 career points to
surpass Lynette Woodard's record and become the NCAA's all-time leading female scorer.
"How will she go for history? There it is!"
It was only a matter of time before she was back in the spotlight for breaking
Pete Maravich's top-scoring NCAA career record of 3,667 points to
be named the overall top scorer, male or female. Clark achieved the feat during
a game against Ohio State that saw her rack up an astounding 35 points.
"Is that going through your mind at all?"
"Not really, but then when they announce it and everybody screams, that's when I knew."
While the full realization of the achievement didn't sink in immediately, when she spoke
about it to the press after the game, she admitted that it was a surreal experience.
"It's really, like, crazy to think about. Like honestly if you would have told me that before
my college career started I would have laughed in your face and been like, 'No, you're insane.'"
Caitlin Clark's signature deep three-pointer has often sent her fans into a frenzy and
beat the buzzer a couple of times. It's a technique the point guard developed to
curb the aggression of her opponents, as she explained on "Sue's Places."
"I think just the way people guard me, they would just be physical and just push me off the line,
make it harder to get to my spots. So I kinda had to learn to create off the bounce a lot."
In March 2024, Clark smashed the NCAA Division 1 record for the
most three-pointers made in a single season, 163,
which was previously held by Davidson's Steph Curry and Liberty's Darius McGhee.
"No one in the history of the sport has hit more threes in a season than Clark has this year."
If you're wondering what Curry thought of Clark's milestone being pitted against his own,
Curry himself sang her praises in an interview with "CBS Mornings," saying:
"I think it almost robs her of, like, the rest of her game because […] she's racking up,
you know, close to triple-doubles every night,
and her shooting ability is her superpower but the rest of her game is as polished as that."
In a February 2024 post on Instagram, Caitlin Clark announced that she was
leaving the University of Iowa after the season ended to take a shot at the WNBA. She wrote:
"It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to
everyone who has supported me during my time at Iowa."
She went on to thank the members of the team, workers at the institution,
the coaching squad, fans, and her family, ending her statement with:
"Because of all of you, my dreams came true."
Days after the Hawkeyes lost in the national championship game to South Carolina,
the Iowa Hawkeyes tweeted that her jersey would be officially retired. As of April 2024,
there will never be another No. 22 at the school.
In her final goodbye to the team, Clark was asked about her thoughts on her jersey's retirement,
which she called "incredible" before calling out others who've worn the number before her.
"Something I'm very thankful for and obviously I've had some amazing
teammates over the course of my four years here. And there's been a lot of
really good 22's to come before me and play for this program."
Ahead of the 2024 WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark made a surprise guest appearance on "Saturday Night
Live." Clark roasted Michael Che, who has in the past made some unflattering comments
about the WNBA during the show's "Weekend Update" segment. During the "SNL" appearance,
Clark said she came up with some jokes of her own for Che to read aloud,
including one about the then-upcoming WNBA draft, which had the Indiana Fever getting first pick.
"A reminder that Indiana Fever is a WNBA team and not what Michael
Che gave to dozens of women at Purdue University."
In a chat with "Today," she shared that preparing for "SNL" was more nerve-wracking
than training for a championship title, even though she had ticked one box off her checklist.
"Like that's a bucket list item that not a lot of people get to do."
When Caitlin Clark was in the second grade, she had a list of goals written down,
as she told "Today." At the top of that list, she wanted a basketball scholarship
and the chance to join the WNBA. Her quest for playing women's basketball at the highest level
was fulfilled when she became the Indiana Fever's No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.
"Caitlin Clark, University of Iowa."
Although it seemed like a pretty obvious choice,
Clark was tense in the minutes leading up to the announcement, but happy to be with her loved ones.
"It's a moment I've dreamed of since I was in second grade and to be there with my family
at the table was amazing and to share with it with them was super special."
This new chapter not only casts a light on Clark's skills but also provides an opportunity
for her to scale her paychecks. Although her WNBA contract paled in comparison to the NBA,
Clark has already started work on sponsorship deals. She's made appearances in commercials
by State Farm, and got a nod from Nike. She also works with charitable pursuits like The Caitlin
Clark Foundation, which aims to promote sports, education, and nutrition amongst young people.