Caitlin Clark has been named TIME’s Athlete of the Year following her remarkable rookie season in the WNBA.
The former Iowa star fired the Hawkeyes to two consecutive national title games and, though they fell short on both occasions, was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever.
Clark would help the Fever return to the playoffs for the first time in eight years while setting a rookie scoring record with 769 points, the most assists, and the most three-point shots made.
The Rookie of the Year has been recognized for her exploits, with the aforementioned magazine presenting her with its prestigious honor this week.
Caitlin Clark (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
There were hardly any negative reactions to this as most fans felt like the rookie deserved it.
Hell ya!! Took the game to another level along with many others!!! Congrats CC! 💪💯” one wrote.
“The most influential athlete in world sports today–period. No one else comes close to her upside,” another declared.
“I don’t watch the WNBA, but I do know who she is, which means she’s made an impact beyond the court for non fan.
“Good for her 👏,” said a third.
“Well deserved!” a user commented. “She transformed WNBA.”
Caitlin Clark Aiming For Midrange Dominance In Year 2
While Clark was lights out from beyond the arc and was unplayable at her best last season, she didn’t really show off a midrange game. She told TIME she’s planning to reintroduce it to her repertoire next year.
“I used to have a middie bag,” she said. “I just never had to use it.”
Clark added she’s looking to get stronger to cope with the physicality thrown her way.
“Teams’ No. 1 tactic of stopping me is, ‘be physical with her,’” she continued. “Because they know either I don’t like it or it can throw me off.”
The Fever star is also looking to do more for women both in and out of sports.
“Personally, I’m just scratching the surface of what I can do and hopefully how I can change the world and impact people,” she remarked. “There’s also been so many people that are not involved in women’s sports, that are just in the workforce, or whatever they do, and they’re just like, ‘Thank you for what you do for women.’ I’ve heard that a million times.”
TPS congratulates Caitlin Clark for her incredible first year in the pros and her latest milestone.