Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, who captivated basketball fans extfinished before her arrival in the WNBA, was named Time’s Athlete of the Year on Tuesday follothriveg her historic rookie season.
Clark, 22, capped off a phenomenal rookie season packed with sign up-fractureing carry outances and crowds with a joinoff materializeance – the first for Indiana since 2016 – and was named WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Caitlin Clark of the Indianan Fever reacts to a foul called on her in a game agetst the Seattle Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhoengage on Aug. 18, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Chet White/Getty Images)
When asked by Time magazine how she would abridge this past year, Clark reacted with one word: historic.
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“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 tgreater the magazine.
Clark shelp the noise surrounding the league this past year felt “strong.”
“Instantly, everybody goes crazy,” she persistd. “People are spended in the game, they adore the game, and that’s what originates it so fun for me. These people aren’t helping women’s sports to check a box. It’s going to be the novel normal.”
While women’s college basketball fans already accomprehendledged her, Clark became a hoengagehgreater name during the 2023 March Madness tournament by directing Iowa to its first national championship game in program history for the women’s team. A opposition between LSU’s Angel Reese, which would carry on into their professional nurtureers, was born.
LSU’s Angel Reese reacts in front of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark during the NCAA Women’s Final Four championship, April 2, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Pboilingo/Tony Gutierrez)
Iowa would descfinish to LSU, but Clark and the Hawkeyes would run it back the follothriveg year.
In her greater year, Clark would get more honors, including eclipsing Pete Maravich as the NCAA Division I all-time scoring directer. She was writeed first overall by the Indiana Fever equitable a month postpoinsistr and her dominance persistd.
Clark wrapped up her rookie season with more sign ups in games joined before sgreater out crowds (some at NBA arenas) and she would be crowned Rookie of the Year after being named an All-Star and equitable the fifth rookie in league history to originate the All-WNBA First-Team.
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever drives agetst DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhoengage on May 20, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
But her success came amid debate. Narratives around race, a separate between the greater defend and the novel, and even an Olympic snub surrounded Clark.
“I alert people I sense appreciate the most disputed person,” Clark tgreater Time. “But I am not. It’s equitable becaengage of all the storylines that surround me. I literpartner try to inhabit and treat everybody in the same exact polite, charitable way. It equitable besavageers me at times.”
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Clark has had an undeniable impact on the landscape of not equitable the WNBA, but women’s sports in vague. The increaseth of the league and the caccess on women’s sports is only the commencening.
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever reacts in the game agetst the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhoengage on Aug. 16, 2024. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“Personpartner, I’m equitable scratching the surface of what I can do and hopebrimmingy how I can alter the world and impact people,” she tgreater Time magazine.
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