The Gorgeous Transformation Of Basketball Star Caitlin Clark
Unless you've been living under a basketball-proof rock, you probably know that Caitlin Clark has been totally slam dunking it over the past few years. Literally. Like other iconic female athletes (Anna Kournikova, anyone?), this baller is leading the way for women in sports, inspiring people across the world with her determination to succeed and incredible natural talent.
Clark has had quite the metamorphosis in a relatively short amount of time, too. Her evolution — from a little girl dressing up in Iowa Hawkeyes gear to a real-life Iowa Hawkeye who's broken decades-old records previously held by male players — proves you should always dream big and never stop chasing those dreams.
Not only that, but Clark now has the ability to use her star power to finally bring about change to WNBA salaries. That's why we're taking a look at the gorgeous transformation of this WNBA superstar, from a hopeful 5-year-old playing in the boy's league to the world-famous woman with a multi-million dollar deal with Nike (a company doing a lot for menstruating athletes, which we love to see).
Caitlin Clark started playing basketball at age 5
When she was only 5 years old, Caitlin Clark's natural talent for basketball started to shine through. This youngster started out playing as the only girl in a boy's league after her dad, Brent Clark, discovered there weren't any girl's teams in their area for children so young. And, sadly, the Clarks faced some controversy for the move after she began leading the team to victory.
"One of the mothers complained because 'A girl shouldn't be allowed to play in a boys tournament.' So, I always kind of chuckle about that," Clark's father admitted to KCCI Des Moines. But, thankfully, that didn't slow this future star down. "I can just remember her doing things in 3rd and 4th grade that were pretty special," Brent Clark recalled of his daughter.
Even earlier, Clark was already dreaming about playing sports at a high level. In a video obtained by People from the ESPN+ series "Full Court Press," she can be seen running around in football gear, pretending to be a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes. "I'd like, run out and do a lap. So, it's like, honestly, I've dreamed of this moment since I was a little kid," a grown-up Clark admitted on the series.
She was scouted before starting high school
It didn't take long before Caitlin Clark's incredible abilities were getting noticed by professional basketball coaches. Clark's Dowling Catholic High School coach, Kristin Meyer, told KCCI Des Moines that her talent was so obvious and impressive that she was being scouted before she'd even made it to high school. "I started getting calls from coaches, Division One coaches, before her freshman year of high school. And they had seen her play. They were predicting her to be top level. Some of them said that, even as a freshman in high school, they could've played on their D1 team," Meyer shared.
One of those who noticed Clark's talent early was Iowa Hawkeyes basketball coach Jan Jensen, who told AP that she started to hear rumblings about Clark when she was only in the sixth grade. "It didn't take but a second, maybe a minute. That little step-back sassy three (pointer), this little seventh-, eighth-grader. Yeah, she's diff. You could just tell," she recalled of seeing Clark play. And that certainly wasn't the last time the two would meet.
Caitlin Clark became an Iowa Hawkeye in 2019
Caitlin Clark's childhood dream of becoming an Iowa Hawkeye came true in 2019, when she committed to attending the University of Iowa and reunited with coach Jan Jensen. Clark announced the big news on X, formerly known as Twitter, sharing a photo of herself in her jersey alongside the caption, "LETS GO HAWKS‼️ #committed."
Unsurprisingly, the University of Iowa was hardly the only college after the star. Clark also had offers from the likes of the University of Oregon, Duke University, and the University of Notre Dame. However, as Clark told Daily Iowan in 2021, she also liked the idea of staying a little closer to her family. "I think one of the biggest things for me [choosing Iowa] was that it was so close to home," she shared. "It's an hour-and-45-minute drive, so not too far and not too close." She later talked about how much she liked the idea of playing in her home state, per NPR. "I think playing for your home state is really something special," she said.
She was named Freshman of the Year with the Hawkeyes
It didn't take Caitlin Clark long to settle in with the Iowa Hawkeyes. This super talented athlete quickly found herself earning all sorts of accolades from the college team, including landing the title of Freshman of the Year in the Big 10 Conference. She was also named Player of the Week five times, a seriously impressive showing. But that wasn't all this basketballer player did. Clark also broke countless University of Iowa basketball records, as well as earning the title of national freshman of the week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
But while most people would be pretty thrilled to have so many accolades so quickly, Clark admitted that she wasn't focused on all the titles. In 2021, she told Daily Iowan that she actually didn't pay too much attention to all that noise, because she wanted her focus to be on the game. "Overall I'm just focused on winning, and I think that's just my focus going into every game. I'm not like, 'Oh my gosh, I need to score 30 points,'" she said.
The deals started rolling in for Caitlin Clark
As Caitlin Clark's star started to grow, so did her opportunities to make serious bank. One of her biggest business deals came when she started working with Nike in 2022, when she was just 20 years old. At the time, she told ESPN's Nick DePaula that she felt a strong connection to the brand because she'd been inspired by so many Nike athletes over the years.
"I'm humbled to be part of this first Nike basketball class and passionate about inspiring the next," she said. Clark also tweeted about the deal, writing on X, "Excited to officially join the Nike family." She also revealed on Instagram she'd become the first college athlete to sign with State Farm, in addition to signing with car manufacturer Buick and also working with Gainbride Sport.
It wasn't publicly confirmed at the time how much those deals were worth, but it's probably safe to say her most lucrative deal was still to come. In April 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported Clark has signed on the dotted line with Nike again ... this time for a deal worth a whopping $28 million. That same year, Clark also teamed up Gatorade to create her own bottle and towel. Clark proved she was still looking to give back as she ventured into the philanthropy world too, as her deal with Gatorade included $50,000 donated to the Caitlin Clark Foundation and the Women's Sports Foundation.
In 2023, Caitlin Clark found love with a fellow basketball star
While much of Clark's life during her 20s had been focused on her career, Caitlin Clark also found love in 2023. She became part of a major sports power couple when she started dating fellow basketball player (and a fellow Iowa Hawkeye alumnus) Connor McCaffery. Clark made things Instagram official in August 2023 after about four months of dating, when she posted a photo of herself and her man on a boat together.
The cute couple went on to celebrate their first anniversary together in April 2024, with both posting gushing messages on Instagram. "One year of the best mems w my fav person," Clark wrote in her post, alongside a black and white photo that showed McCaffery with his arms around her. "You make everyday better and I can't wait for many more adventures together ... love you," she added.
McCaffery also shared a post on his Instagram to celebrate 12 months together. He posted a different black and white photo and a hilarious video of Clark rolling her eyes, writing, "One year w the best[.] doing life w u has been easy, and you never cease to amaze me.. can't wait to watch u live out ur dreams in person [.] love you." Adorable! That same month, Clark supported her man on the court when she appeared at a Indiana Pacers game, where McCaffery works as a team assistant.
She became the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader in 2024
Proving her love life and work life were both on point, Caitlin Clark earned another title in March 2024, when it was revealed she'd scored the most points in the history of the NCAA Division I (men's or women's). Going into the Iowa Hawkeyes game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, Clark needed to score 18 points to cinch the record, which was previously held by the late Pete Maravich.
Of course, Clark being Clark, she scored plenty of baskets to land herself the title, racking up an impressive 35 points during the game. In fact, it only took her 20 minutes to secure the points she needed to break the record. Speaking to Fox News about the hugely impressive achievement, Clark shared that she only knew she'd broken the record when the crowd let out a huge cheer. "It's pretty cool," she said.
The win came just one week after the baller (who gives us preppy vibes with her on-court headbands) managed yet another impressive feat on the court. Mere days earlier, Clark had set the NCAA single-season record for three-pointers. As if that wasn't enough, she'd also become the first player ever to rack up 3,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 850 rebounds. So, yeah, there's really no doubting Clark belongs on the basketball court.
Caitlin Clark was 2024's number one WNBA draft pick
Caitlin Clark had her biggest year yet in 2024, because the exciting achievements just kept on coming. When April 2024 rolled around, Indiana Fever chose Clark as it's number one pick for the WNBA draft — which is a huge accomplishment for any athlete. She landed the impressive gig with a salary of $76,535, not taking a pay cut, according to The Washington Post. Sadly, though, her earnings are still far less than her male counterparts and doesn't give us much hope for global gender parity.
But despite the obvious pay disparity, Clark spoke about how special the moment was during an interview with ESPN. In it, she shared how important it was that she was able to enjoy the moment with her family. "Obviously, playing a basketball game, I'm not out there with my family. So sharing that moment with them and enjoying it, and people that have really had my back and believed in me more than anyone, is super special," she said.
If being picked first wasn't enough to prove Clark's star power, she was also credited for at least partially making the 2024 WNBA draft the most watched in history. ESPN confirmed 2.45 million viewers tuned in for the pick — and there's no doubting Clark brought a lot of new attention to the sport.
She missed her own college graduation for basketball commitments
All that dedication to basketball has no doubt come with its sacrifices over the years, but Caitlin Clark found out the hard way that it takes unwavering commitment to play in the WNBA. In May 2024, she was so busy at Indiana Fever's training camp that she unfortunately had to miss her University of Iowa graduation.
Caitlin Clark was unable to attend her @uiowa graduation yesterday so the team surprised her with a "Certificate of Graduation" before training camp today 📃 🎓 pic.twitter.com/oHPLruveFh
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 13, 2024
Thankfully, proving her teammates really do have her back, they hosted their own makeshift graduation for their point guard. The team rallied around Clark the day after what would have been her graduation day and shared the proof to X, formerly known as Twitter. In a video posted by Indiana Fever's official account, Clark could be seen walking under an archway of her teammate's arms before reaching Aaliyah Boston at the end, who gave her a graduation certificate. Clark then proudly held up the certificate and gave a big thumbs up. Fans clearly loved seeing the adorable comradery between the team, since the social media clip has been viewed more than 1.6 million times.
Caitlin Clark got a wave of support during a difficult time in her career
Sometimes, things don't instantly turn out the way we want, and that's something Caitlin Clark had to face after joining Indiana Fever. With so much expectation, Clark may have been feeling the pressure, since the team didn't have the best start to the season. Indiana Fever lost their first four games, and Clark suffered a painful ankle injury in May 2024. But she saw the positive in the difficult situation while speaking to CNN. "Every basketball player has had an ankle injury. If not, you're not a true baller I guess, so it'll be a little stiff but I'll be good," she said.
While the negative comments rolled in, Clark got a whole lot of support from some famous faces, including Lebron James. "My advice to Caitlin, and my advice to anyone that comes in with this level of notoriety, out-of-this-world expectation ... Put your blinders on, go to work, show up to work, punch your clock in, prepare yourself, work on your game, work on your craft," he said on "Mind the Game" podcast.
Charles Barkley also spoke out after Clark received some negative attention from fellow basketball players, noting James was right for calling out those who slammed Clark. "Y'all should be thanking that girl for getting y'all a** private charters, all the money and visibility she brings into the WNBA," he said on TNT Sports' "Inside the NBA." And he wasn't wrong.