CELEBRITY NEWS Caitlin Clark follows in footsteps of Simone Biles and Lionel Messi with huge WNBA offseason boost

CELEBRITY NEWS
Caitlin Clark follows in footsteps of Simone Biles and Lionel Messi with huge WNBA offseason boost

Caitlin Clark has followed some of the biggest names in world sport by being named TIME Athlete of the Year following her historic end to her collegiate career and her debut campaign in the WNBA

Caitlin Clark has been named TIME Athlete of the Year to cap off a tremendous 2024 for the WNBA superstar.

Having enjoyed a record-breaking spell at Iowa in which she led the Hawkeyes to a second successive National Championship appearances, Clark departed college as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history. She took the sports world by storm, headlining a talented class in the WNBA Draft that attracted record audiences and attention to the league – and women’s sports as a whole.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark dominated on the court, beating out Angel Reese as the WNBA Rookie of the Year after posting 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game. She helped the Indiana Fever to a first playoff berth since 2016, and has since been enjoying time off in her first offseason since turning pro.

The 22-year-old is spearheading a women’s sporting revolution. For the NCAA Championship against South Carolina, 18.9 million tuned in to rank as the second-most watched female sporting event in U.S. history. Her unique appeal transitioned to the professional level too, with Clark’s Fever regularly breaking the record for the most-watched WNBA game in history.,

When asked by TIME to summarise her year in a single word, Clark said: “historic.” She understands her impact, outlining: “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.”

She added: “Personally, I’m just scratching the surface of what I can do and hopefully how I can change the world and impact people. 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.”