Caitlin Clark‘s entry into the WNBA after her dominant college career has helped boost the league’s viewership to unprecedented heights. While she’s had an impactful start to life in the WNBA, many have expressed their dismay at the 22-year-old failing to reproduce her college numbers in her rookie season. The pressure on the young guard has been intense, which prompted Kate Martin to defend her best friend.
Advertisement
In an interview with Fox5 News, the Las Vegas Aces rookie lauded the Indiana Fever sensation and claimed that expecting her to be the torchbearer of women’s basketball is unfair. She said,
“Caitlin is phenomenal and she is having a great rookie season. I think people are really hard on her and expecting her to be perfect. That’s unrealistic, right?”
Martin added that she’ll stand by Clark to ensure the pressure doesn’t overwhelm her and revealed she often talks to ‘one of best friends’ about stuff outside basketball to keep her spirits up.
Martin’s revelation speaks volumes about the duo’s friendship. They built a strong bond during their time together as teammates in Iowa, where they helped build their alma mater’s reputation as a modern-day women’s basketball powerhouse.
While they went their separate ways in the WNBA, they remain as close as ever. Martin even outlined this in a post-game interview following her first game against Clark as an Aces star, saying,
“We’re both living out our dreams right now. We both always wanted to get to this point and we’re doing that right now. So, we’re just really grateful that we’re in this position…It’s pretty cool to experience that with your best friend.”
An athlete in Clark’s position needs a terrific support system to thrive, and Martin is playing her role as one of her closest allies to perfection. The Fever star has been under the microscope since her debut in the WNBA, but she isn’t surprised and doesn’t plan on cowering away from the attention and scrutiny.
Caitlin Clark wanted this all along
After flipping the fortunes of the Iowa Hawkeyes and women’s college basketball, Clark was aware that she’d be expected to make a similar impact in the WNBA. Consequently, she prepared herself mentally for those hardships. At the beginning of the training camp, she even outlined her mindset in an interview with ESPN, saying,
“No matter what happens there’s going to be expectations and pressure on my shoulders and pressure on this team to be really good. That’s how you want it. We wouldn’t want anything else. We want people showing up to our games, people expecting us to win a lot of basketball games this year and I’m expecting myself to play really well. I don’t think it’s anything that’s ever been different for me.”
Clark has been unfazed by the constant chatter about her performances and impact on the league. She has slowly found her footing and is steadily ascending to the level that made her a household name. She’s a prime contender to win the Rookie of the Year award and perhaps even earn an All-Star nod if she continues to perform as well as she has of late.
