From being a senior in college and the star of the Iowa women’s basketball team that reached the national championship, to being drafted right after and jumping into the WNBA season, a lot happened in Caitlin Clark’s life during the last year.
The Indiana Fever star was left off the Olympic women’s basketball roster last summer, a decision that sparked much debate, but Clark said the pause during the WNBA season was necessary due to the 2024 Paris Games.
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Caitlin Clark (AP Photo/Adam Hunger/File)
“We had the Olympic break, so I had a month off in the middle of the season because we had to pause the WNBA season because, you know, the 12 girls go and play in the Olympics. And everyone else, not doing much, so [I] “I had like a month off, which I really needed, obviously, because I’ve only been playing basketball for a year straight,” Clark said during a recent appearance on “New Heights.”
The Fever started 1-8 but rebounded to finish 20-20 and make the playoffs. A big reason for the Fever’s late-season push was Clark’s improved play after the break.
Before the Olympic break, he averaged 17.1 points per game. After the break, she seemed rejuvenated, averaging 23.1 points per game down the stretch.
Jason Kelce asked how Clark would define the whirlwind of a year in just two words.
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Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark poses for a photo with Lin Dunn and Christie Sides during her introductory press conference on April 17, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
“I would say, I don’t know, maybe a life change? All in a good way, I mean, things change very quickly, as you know. That’s how the world works and, especially with social media, people see a lot of your life, but that’s what makes it fun and the reason I’ve had so many interesting opportunities as well. So, it’s crazy, like looking back, a year ago, today or around this time, like. “I was starting my last year of college,” Clark said.
“And obviously, you know, people knew who we were and people came to our games, but obviously it’s not the magnitude that it is now. So, life changes quickly, but that’s what makes it fun and great and, You know, I also quickly started a new chapter in my life, like moving here to Indianapolis and I feel lucky to still be in the Midwest. [Jason and Travis Kelce] like the Midwest.”
Clark said she hopes to get more of a routine in her second season with the Fever after the quick transition from college basketball to the WNBA.
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Lisa Bluder and Caitlin Clark speak during practice for the NCAA women’s college basketball championship between Iowa and South Carolina on April 6, 2024. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
“Yeah, right, I mean it’s a lot different than any other professional sport, actually, from the standpoint of I played in the national championship, and basically went to the draft right after, got picked, and then you basically pack up.” “You move in April and you don’t even finish your senior year of college,” Clark said.
“And I guess for you, what was it? You go to the [NFL] combine, how long do you have to prepare for the combine, two months? And then you get drafted and you still have a little bit of time to acclimatize to the new city, you have camp, whatever. “It’s not like that, the camp for us lasts about a week and a half.”
But Clark also said there was a benefit to things moving so quickly.
“I think it was kind of cool too, like you didn’t have time to think about things too much, like it was like, boom, boom, boom, boom, like you’re onto the next one. But at the same time, you don’t. , I feel like I never finished the college chapter, it was like you just up and left, but maybe that’s a good thing. You don’t have much time to think about it, so I think that’s definitely the strangest part. You know, women’s professional basketball and obviously college basketball. are also precisely that change,” Clark said.
Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark speaks to the media during an introductory press conference on April 17, 2024 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
Despite the quick transition to the WNBA, Clark still stood out.
She won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, was named an All-Star and led the WNBA in assists while setting a record for most assists in a season with 337.
Clark set the rookie record for most total points scored in a season with 769, and she made 122 three-pointers in her season, which is the second-most in a single season in WNBA history.
