Caitlin Clark Reminds Herself ‘Don’t Lose the Fun’ Amid First WNBA Season
By Movieguide® Contributor
Former Iowa Hawkeyes basketball standout Caitlin Clark made her rookie debut for the Indiana Fever on May 14 and told TODAY how it feels to be “the new kid in school.”
“It feels good. I mean, I think just the excitement and the energy around this league, around our team,” Clark said. “But at the same time, I think just learning day by day. That’s going to be the biggest thing for myself.”
“And I think continuing to stack days, whether you learn one little thing or you learn a lot, I think continuing to improve is going to be the biggest part of it for myself. But also, don’t lose the fun of it,” she added.
The WNBA has been an adjustment for Clark. Since her start on May 14, the Fever is 0-4.
Despite the 0-4 start, Clark has put up impressive numbers as she is averaging 17 points per game with five-and-a-half assists and four rebounds.
During the Fever’s performance on Monday night, Clark left the game early because of an apparent ankle injury.
The team fell just short of their first win of the season.
Per ESPN, “The Indiana Fever rookie and No. 1 draft pick, who has been the subject of unrelenting defensive focus while transitioning to the pro game, rolled her ankle in the second quarter of the Fever’s 88-84 loss to the Connecticut Sun, an injury that left Clark sprawled on the court and clutching her ankle in pain.”
Head coach Christie Sides said she “was worried a lot” when Clark went down.
Despite the pain Clark appeared to be in, she got up and walked off the court herself.
“She’s tough,” Sides expressed of the athlete. “She didn’t want anybody to help her off the court. I love that about her. I love that’s what she’s about. She walked it off herself, did what she needed to do to come back in the game.”
After the game, Clark shrugged off her injury and said, “Every basketball player’s had an ankle injury. If you [haven’t], you’re not a true baller, I guess. I don’t know. It’ll be a little stiff, but I’ll be good.”
Movieguide® previously reported on how Clark has boosted WNBA viewership:
Caitlin Clark might not have performed the way she wanted to for her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever, but the athlete garnered 2.12 million viewers on ESPN2.
This is a remarkable feat because ESPN2 viewership rarely ever exceeds ESPN primetime, which featured an NHL playoff game during the same time.
Clark’s debut game also “topped ESPN’s previous mark of nearly 1.5 million viewers for a Phoenix Mercury-Connecticut Sun game on May 22, 2004, in Diana Taurasi’s rookie season.”
According to Sports Media Watch, “Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut was the league’s most-watched game in 23 years.”
In her first professional game, Clark totaled 20 points but had 10 turnovers. She went 5-15 for shooting and only 4-11 beyond the arc.
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