On February 2, WNBA star Caitli
n Clark had her no. 22 jersey retired in a ceremony that took place after Iowa’s 76-67 upset over No. 4 USC at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena. This ceremony only took place one whole season after her historic college career came to an end. Caitlin was with the Iowa Hawkeyes all four years of her collegiate career. Her freshman year she managed to average 26.6 points and 7.1 assists per game, kicking off her decorated career with the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year award. Continuing into her sophomore year her skills didn’t dwindle, she averaged 27 points, 8 assists, and 8 rebounds per game. She became the Fastest Big Ten player to reach 1,000 points. Throughout the rest of her career she continued to break monumental records, like scoring the most points in NCAA history by any college player. She is also the first Division I player to have 3,700+ points, 1,000+ assists, and 850+ rebounds in a career.
Clark’s remarkable career has helped bring a new limelight to women’s basketball. Due to the influx of people wanting to attend her games and watch her play, not only did ticket prices skyrocket by 224% when she played with Iowa, so did television viewership. Especially when she continued her career with Indiana Fever in the WNBA, viewership and attendance also continued to go up. Within her 19 games she played in, SBJ reported that there was a 170 percent increase from last season, which averaged 1.19 million viewers per game. It is incredible to see how much Clark has helped grow the popularity of women’s basketball throughout her own career. Her legacy continues to inspire many young people too, even establishing the Caitlin Clark Foundation to support programs that help kids through education, nutrition, and sport. With her competitive spirit and incredible shooting range, she will truly remain a legend in not just women’s basketball, but in basketball as a whole.
