Caitlin Clark has always possessed great talent, throughout childhood, high school, college, and now into the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Viewers across the country began to fall in love with Clark, and the way she plays the game of basketball. Her smooth passes, insane basketball IQ, and long-range shots create an unimaginable amount of respect for Clark; it is hard to dislike a player with such an extreme skill-level. Watching Clark play leaves fans amazed, stunned, and entertained. Never before has this nation seen such a talented and unique women’s basketball player as Clark.
While playing college basketball f
or the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark broke many records and gained a huge support system. In her college years alone, Clark broke records on top of records. Some of her biggest achievements for Division I women’s basketball include:
- Most points scored in Division I women’s and men’s basketball: total of 3,951 collegiate points
- Most three point shots made: 548 three point made field goals in college
- Most field goals made: 1,293 total made field goals
- First player in NCAA history to have consecutive 1,000-point seasons
- Named the Big Ten’s all-time assist leader
These are just a few examples of many records broken by Caitlin Clark during her college career. It is impossible for a player who has set such a high standard and worked so hard to get to where she is to go unnoticed. Upon progressing from the college level to the WNBA, the University of Iowa retired Clark’s jersey number, 22, adding onto only two other women’s basketball players for the Hawkeyes. The Iowa Hawkeyes will surely miss Clark, and a void will be left in her place, but they cheer her on as she approaches bigger things in her future. Clark has broken many records, however this isn’t even close to the end of her story.
On April 15, 2024, Clark was officially drafted as the number one pick by the Indiana Fever. Clark was fired up for her rookie season, and her many fans were excited to see her play at a higher level of basketball. It is very possible, and likely, that Clark’s thousands of fans were more excited than she was. No matter if Clark’s team is playing a home or away game, the stadium seems to be full and made up of a good chunk of Fever fans. If people don’t physically go to watch, they watch from the comfort of their homes via their television. Because of Clark, the total attendance and overall popularity of the WNBA has increased significantly. For example, WNBA attendance is 170% higher when Clark plays. On average, Clark has 15,306 fans come to watch her and the Indiana Fever play. Throughout the entire WNBA, the games in which there are the most viewers and tickets sold are when Clark sets foot on the court. This continuous pattern has been labeled the “Caitlin Clark effect.” There has been some additional drama and debate surrounding the increased popularity of the WNBA, and whether Clark should be solely recognized for this. I’m not going to touch too much on this debatable topic, but I myself believe the “Caitlin Clark effect” is very much real and has been a huge contributor to the recent rise of the WNBA. In addition, eight of the 11 home games that the Indiana Fever have hosted so far have been sellouts. The WNBA has surely gained more widespread popularity and recognition than it experienced prior to Clark joining the league. Playoffs are around the corner for the WNBA, and I’m sure the number of viewers is only going to continue to go up from here.
Not only has Clark achieved great things for the WNBA, but she has had an impressive rookie career so far, adding even more records to her resume. No one expects much out of your average rookie playing a professional sport, but Clark isn’t just your average rookie. Exclusively in her rookie season, Clark managed to break or come close to the following titles:
- Most assists in a season in the WNBA, with a total 337 assists
- Second most three pointers in a season, with a total of 122 three point field goals
- Most career 25 points/10 assists games, with a total of five games with these stats and achieving so within a 40 game span
- Most assists in a game, with a total of 19 assists
- Most points by a rookie, with a sum of 769 points
- Clark is the only rookie to ever have a triple double game, and she has done so twice in her rookie season.
- Clark’s rookie season was historic to say the least. If she was able to achieve all this in her rookie season alone, imagine what she will do in her future years in the WNBA.
Caitlin Clark is the player that she is today because of the necessary change and growth she has experienced. With the amount of records and achievements that she has, it is hard not to watch the beauty of her talent. In addition to fans’ love for Caitlin Clark, her and her fan base help bring more attention to the longstanding underrated WNBA. Let’s hope that our nation as a whole recognizes the true worth of the WNBA, and finally appreciates the value that the league holds. The future is bright for this young star, and her story is just beginning.
