Caitlin Clark traded her gold and black Iowa threads for a gold accent to the Indiana Fever‘s navy and red, but she kept dancing like she was 22.
Of course, the superstar was dancing as her golden birthday, coincidentally her jersey number, was a historic year for her college home and WNBA franchise. Clark’s Hawkeyes jersey was retired Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena with an entertaining game to match the spectacle of her play for which she was honored for. She joined the Fox broadcast after halftime for an interview in which Jason Benetti asked her, “Which birthday has your life changed the most?”
Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 retired by Iowa: ‘There’s nothing like this place. I truly mean that.’
Clark, who turned 23 on Jan. 22, said: “Year 22 for me. So then from 21 to 22, whole Year 22 is pretty special, obviously, my golden birthday. But I think looking back and reflecting on all that came in Year 22 is pretty incredible, hard to believe that some of it was even real. You know, getting getting back to the national championship and being the No. 1 draft pick … helping the Fever get back to the playoffs, first time since 2016 so just really grateful, honestly.”
And it’s no fantasy that Year 23 could end with a ring. The Fever are certainly making that push after they re-signed Kelsey Mitchell, acquired Sophie Cunningham via trade, signed former Defensive Player of the Year Natasha Howard and signed six-time All-Star DeWanna Bonner. Clark said pregame she was “excited” about the moves, “helping us to win now.”
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There’s no doubting the stardom Clark has built, which developed in her time at Iowa and has carried into the WNBA. Fans don her No. 22 apparel, Iowa and Fever alike, still at Hawkeyes games, Fever games and just about any sporting event someone attends from coast to coast.
Clark previously said fans probably don’t realize the impact they have on players, and that she takes a lot of pride in being a role model for others. She looked up to WNBA stars, such as Maya Moore, as she was growing up, which laid the groundwork for her.
“It’s because I had people like Maya Moore or Candace Parker or whoever it was that I looked up to, from the girls that were on the high school basketball team to the girls that played in the WNBA, like it didn’t really matter who they were,” Clark said. “I just wanted to look up to somebody and see, you know, the impact that they can have on young women. And I wanted to be able to do that one day, and now I get to do it just by playing basketball and having fun and kind of living my dream.”
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The crossover of her collegiate and professional careers will happen during a WNBA preseason game as Clark and the Fever will take the court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 6 p.m. May 4 against the Brazilian National Team. And as Clark admitted, sounding surprised, she was emotional entering that venue Sunday for her jersey retirement, she’s looking forward to taking her Fever teammates to her old stomping grounds.
“I can’t wait to have all my teammates back in here,” Clark said after calling CHA the hardest place to play in women’s college basketball, “and I know the Hawkeye fans are going to get a very warm welcome. So I think that’s going to be special for all of us.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Which Caitlin Clark birthday changed her life the most? From Iowa to Fever
