Caitlin Clark’s life will never be the same after her rise to fame at Iowa.
The All-American point guard, who is the consensus No. 1 pick in Monday’s WNBA draft, explained how life is different after she became a college basketball icon and one of the faces of the NIL movement.
“Life’s changed a lot,” the 22-year-old Clark said of the mass attention she’s received in an interview with “Today” on Monday.
Caitlin Clark @CaitlinClark22 sat down with @stephgosk to speak out about feeling confident going into her WNBA future, remembering writing out her basketball dreams on a piece of paper in 2nd grade, appearing on ‘SNL’ @nbcsnl and more. @IowaWBB #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/Rh4c1Gf0Nh
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) April 15, 2024
Clark recalled being more nervous for her recent surprise “Saturday Night Live” appearance than getting ready for the national championship game against South Carolina, an 87-75 loss on April 7.
“I don’t get nervous for basketball games,” Clark said. “But going in front of a live audience on national television, doing something outside of your comfort zone, is a little scary. My heart was pounding out of my chest.”
The Iowa native’s celebrity is soaring heading into the draft, as Clark made a hilarious surprise cameo on the April 13 episode of “SNL”, in which she roasted Michael Che during the “Weekend Update” segment with Colin Jost.
Clark, who became the leading all-time NCAA Division I basketball scorer — male or female — in March, played a major role in the dominance of this year’s women’s tournament and sold-out crowds throughout Iowa’s season — which added as much as $82.5 million to the state’s economy, according to a report from the Common Sense Institute.
Other NCAA schools also benefitted from the Caitlin Clark effect.
Schools that hosted Clark and the Hawkeyes saw their attendance surge by more than 150% on average, according to The Associated Press.
The women’s championship game on ABC and ESPN took in 18.7 million viewers — more than any basketball game (men’s or women’s and college or professional) since 2019, ESPN reported.
The broadcast peaked at a stunning 24 million viewers.
Clark is unanimously projected to be selected by the Indiana Fever with the first pick of the draft, and the team told ESPN there has been a “spike” in ticket interest.
The Fever have taken the “unprecedented” action of pre-selling single-game tickets instead of two games for a 15-day stretch, per the report.
Clark smiled when she told “Today” that she’s heard season tickets are already “selling pretty well” in Indianapolis, but does not know the exact numbers.
Crowds from all over traveled to see Clark — who is arguably the greatest shooter ever in college basketball — in her final season at Iowa.
Now, she said she feels “confident” to take her talents to the league.
“[The WNBA will] probably be a little bit of a learning curve,” Clark said, but it will be a “good challenge” that she’s ready to face.
“Being confident in all the work I’ve put in, in the moments, and knowing that I’ve earned to be in this moment — that’s always kind of what I remind myself, you know, you’re not here by accident,” she said.
Clark was the only collegiate athlete to be invited to the Team USA 14-player training camp roster in Cleveland, which she missed due to playing in the Final Four, to train for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The women’s basketball roster is not yet set and 12 players will travel to the summer games.
Clark said representing the United States would “mean everything” to her.
