Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark 

Caitlin Elizabeth Clark, born on January 22, 2002, is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes and is recognized as one of the greatest collegiate players in history. Clark holds the NCAA Division I all-time scoring record and was a two-time national player of the year during her time with the Hawkeyes. Her impact on the sport has contributed to the growing popularity of women's basketball, a phenomenon known as the “Caitlin Clark effect.” Clark grew up in West Des Moines, Iowa, and attended Dowling Catholic High School, where she was a McDonald's All-American and ranked as the fourth-best player in her class by ESPN. As a freshman at Iowa, she led NCAA Division I in scoring and earned All-American honors. In her sophomore year, she was a unanimous first-team All-American and became the first women's player to lead Division I in both points and assists in a single season. During her junior season, Clark won the national player of the year award and guided Iowa to its first national championship game. As a senior, she repeated as the national player of the year and helped the team reach another national title game. She became the all-time leader in Division I women’s career and single-season points, three-pointers, and broke the Big Ten's all-time assists record while leading the nation in both points and assists.

At the international level, Clark won three gold medals representing the United States, including two at the FIBA Under-19 Women's World Cup, where she was named Most Valuable Player in 2021. In the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark was selected as the first overall pick by the Indiana Fever. She had an outstanding rookie season, winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and earning spots on the All-WNBA First Team and the WNBA All-Star Game. She set league records for single-season and single-game assists, broke the rookie scoring record, and became the first rookie to record a triple-double.

Early Life

Caitlin Clark was born in Des Moines, Iowa, to Brent Clark, a vice president at a product company, and Anne Clark (née Nizzi). Her maternal grandfather was a football coach and school administrator at Dowling Catholic High School. Clark started playing basketball at the age of five and initially competed in boys’ recreational leagues since there were no girls’ leagues available for her age group. As a child, Clark played multiple sports, including softball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, and golf, before focusing on basketball. At 13, she began competing in girls' leagues against older players. By sixth grade, she joined the All Iowa Attack, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball program in Ames, Iowa, and played with the team throughout high school. She was coached by Dickson Jensen, and her teammates included future WNBA player Ashley Joens. Clark admired Maya Moore of the Minnesota Lynx, often attending Lynx games with her father. She also looked up to All Iowa Attack alumnus Harrison Barnes and became a fan of the North Carolina Tar Heels after Barnes joined the team.

High school career

Caitlin Clark had an outstanding high school basketball career at Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines under coach Kristin Meyer. As a freshman, she averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, earning Class 5A All-State third-team honors. In her sophomore season, she posted 27.1 points, 

6.5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game, leading Dowling to a 20–4 record and the Class 5A state quarterfinals. She also guided All Iowa Attack to a Nike EYBL championship. During her junior year, Clark scored 60 points in a game, the second-highest in Iowa five-on-five history, and set a Class 5A state tournament record with 42 points in the quarterfinals. She finished the season averaging 32.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, winning Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year. As a senior, Clark led the state in scoring with 33.4 points per game, guiding her team to a 19–4 record before falling in the Class 5A regional final. She concluded her career with 2,547 points (fourth-most in state history) and 283 three-pointers (sixth-most). She won Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year again, along with Iowa Miss Basketball and Des Moines Register All-Iowa Athlete of the Year honors. Clark was selected for the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic, but both were canceled due to COVID-19. She also played soccer as a freshman and sophomore, scoring 23 goals and earning Class 3A All-Iowa recognition.

College career

2020–21: Freshman Season
  • Started as Iowa’s point guard and built a strong connection with Monika Czinano, known as "The Law Firm."
  • Scored 27 points in her first college game and recorded a triple-double on December 22, 2020.
  • Led all NCAA players in scoring as a freshman (26.6 PPG) and ranked second in assists.
  • Earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and USBWA first-team All-American honors.
  • Became the first freshman to win the Dawn Staley Award for the nation’s top guard.
2021–22: Sophomore Season
  • Became the fastest player in Big Ten history to reach 1,000 career points.
  • Made NCAA history by recording consecutive 30-point triple-doubles.
  • Led Iowa to the Big Ten regular season championship and won Big Ten Player of the Year.
  • Became the first NCAA Division I player to lead in both points per game and assists per game.
  • Won the Nancy Lieberman Award (top point guard) and repeated as Dawn Staley Award winner.
2022–23: Junior Season
  • Reached 2,000 career points faster than any player since 2000.
  • Led Iowa to its first Final Four appearance since 1993 and first NCAA championship game.
  • Set an NCAA Tournament record for most points in a semifinal game (41 vs. South Carolina).
  • Broke the all-time NCAA Tournament scoring record with 191 total points.
  • Swept all major National Player of the Year honors, including AP, Naismith, Wooden, USBWA, and Wade Trophy.
2023–24: Senior Season (Ongoing)
  • Became Iowa’s all-time leading scorer and later the Big Ten’s all-time assist leader.
  • Reached 3,000 career points in December 2023.
  • Set a new NCAA record for the most 30-point games in Division I history.
  • Remains the top contender for National Player of the Year awards once again.

Professional Career

2024: Rookie Season

Caitlin Clark was selected as the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever on April 15, 2024. She signed her rookie scale contract with the team on April 27. Clark made her WNBA debut on May 14, scoring 20 points in a 92–71 loss to the Connecticut Sun, but also committed 10 turnovers, the most in a WNBA debut. On May 24, Clark recorded her first career double-double, finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists as the Fever secured their first win of the season, defeating the Los Angeles Sparks 78–73. On May 28, she scored 30 points with six assists and five rebounds in an 88–82 loss to the Sparks. Clark had another 30-point performance on June 7, tying Crystal Robinson’s rookie record with seven three-pointers while contributing eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals in an 85–83 win over the Washington Mystics. On June 23, she set a franchise record with 13 assists, along with 17 points and six rebounds, in an 88–87 loss to the Chicago Sky. On July 2, Clark was named a WNBA All-Star, receiving the most fan votes in the league (700,735 votes). On July 6, she became the first rookie in Fever history and the first-ever WNBA rookie to record a triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists in an 83–78 win over the New York Liberty. During the WNBA All-Star Game, Clark was a starter, setting a rookie record with 10 assists. On July 14, she surpassed the WNBA rookie single-season record for turnovers in an 81–74 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. Three days later, on July 17, she set the WNBA single-game assists record with 19, surpassing Courtney Vandersloot’s mark, while scoring 24 points in a 101–93 loss to the Dallas Wings. She was responsible for 66 total points, breaking Diana Taurasi’s record for most points produced in a game.

On August 18, Clark set a new WNBA rookie assist record, surpassing Ticha Penicheiro’s 225 assists from 1998, in a 92–75 win over the Seattle Storm. Ten days later, she broke the WNBA rookie three-point record, surpassing Rhyne Howard’s total from 2022, as the Fever defeated the Connecticut Sun 84–80. Clark led the Fever to a 100–81 win over the Chicago Sky on August 30, recording 31 points and 12 assists. On September 4, she earned her second career triple-double, tallying 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 93–86 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. On September 13, she broke the WNBA single-season assist record in a 78–74 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. Two days later, Clark scored a career-high 35 points, surpassing Seimone Augustus’ rookie scoring record, in a 110–109 victory over the Dallas Wings. Clark finished the 2024 WNBA season averaging 19.2 points, a league-best 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. She made a WNBA-leading 122 three-pointers, the second-most in a single season, behind Sabrina Ionescu. She led the Fever to a 20–20 record, securing their first playoff berth since 2016. The Fever were eliminated in the first round by the Connecticut Sun. In Game 2, Clark scored 25 points with nine assists in an 87–81 season-ending loss. Clark was named WNBA Rookie of the Year, receiving 66 out of 67 votes. She became the first rookie since Candace Parker in 2008 and the fifth in WNBA history to earn an All-WNBA First Team selection. In December 2024, Clark was honored as Athlete of the Year by Time Magazine and Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.

National Team Career

Junior National Team

Clark represented USA Basketball at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women’s Americas Championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she averaged 8.8 points per game off the bench, helping the U.S. win gold with a 5–0 record. She later played in the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, averaging 5.3 points per game, as Team USA finished 7–0 and won another gold medal. At the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary, Clark led Team USA to gold, averaging 14.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game. She was named Most Valuable Player and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

Senior National Team

In March 2024, Clark was one of 14 players invited to the final training camp for the U.S. women’s national team ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, making her the only college player to receive an invitation. However, due to her participation in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, she was unable to attend the camp.

 

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