After setting women’s basketball on fire in her rookie season in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark has been named TIME magazine’s Athlete of the Year. The former Iowa Hawkeye sat down for an interview with TIME after the announcement. The interaction provided fans a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at the daily grind of Clark’s professional life and the quirks of being a superstar athlete.
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During the interview, Clark’s Indiana Fever teammate, Lexie Hull, recalled an instance when crazed spectators rushed to catch up with the superstar guard at the Dallas Airport before a preseason matchup with the Wings.
Hull shared how the new reality of playing alongside a sports icon hit her quickly as fans ambushed the Fever star during just the first of two commercial flights on the team’s schedule. According to the Fever guard, there was a heckler as well in the crowd who tried to get a reaction out of the 22-year-old.
“People were literally running after us-slash-Caitlin in the airport,” Hull said. “Cameras flashed as they went to baggage claim. The Fever needed to load the bus, so Clark didn’t have time to stop for pictures. One guy chastised her, ‘Caitlin, you’re not that big-time!’”
While the Fever star could have ignored the taunt like most players do, Clark instead replied with a calm and collected dig of her own, “I’m not big-time, but you just chased me through the terminal.”
The unfounded disrespect towards Clark was certainly one of her “welcome to the league” moments. But the way the rookie handled the interaction with the heckler showed that she is not getting into PR troubles anytime soon.
According to former Fever head coach, Christie Sides, everyone and their mother were gathered in anticipation for Clark’s season debut against the Connecticut Sun. “It was people my age. It was people my parents’ age. It was people between my and my parents’ age. I saw people crying. I saw people shaking. It made me think of the Beatles. Or Elvis,” Sides had said in awe.
Clark’s impact on the WNBA goes beyond herself or even the Fever. The 2024 first overall pick has already elevated women’s basketball in its entirety and has been vital in getting more eyes on the league
