“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,” Clark told TIME.
Caitlin Clark has been called many things.
The “GOAT,” “transformative,” “the future” and Rookie of the Year are just a few descriptors that have been used to characterize Clark.
On Tuesday, she added TIME Athlete of the Year to her list of monikers. For the first time in her professional career, Clark talked at length about the narratives that followed her rookie season, the rivalry with Sky star Angel Reese and everything that’s come with her inescapable level of fame.
“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,” Clark told TIME.
The record-breaking ratings that followed Clark in college carried over to the WNBA. Of the league’s 20 most-watched games last season, including the playoffs, Clark and the Fever played in 18 of them. The league’s two most-watched regular-season games since 2001 are a pair of 2024 Sky-Fever matchups, which is no surprise considering Clark and Reese’s history and fan bases.
Clark and Reese were pitted against one another in 2023 following LSU’s NCAA title win over Iowa.
