2024 keeps getting better for Caitlin Clark.
The women’s basketball star had a stellar rookie year. After being picked first overall in the WNBA draft for the Indiana Fever, Clark recorded 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists (the most in the league) in her debut season. This performance saw her win the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and be named to the WNBA All-Star Team, the first rookie to achieve this since Candace Parker in 2008.
Since her arrival, the WNBA saw its highest attendance levels in 22 years, and the Fever broke its single-season home attendance record by bringing in 340,715 fans during the season. Games featuring Clark averaged 1.3 million viewers per game. The WNBA wasn’t the only beneficiary of Clark’s popularity. Indiana Fever saw their valuation soar to $90 million, and Clark herself became one of the highest-paid female athletes in 2024 thanks to her endorsements and salary.
Now, she can add TIME magazine Athlete of the Year to her list of accolades, the first-ever WNBA player to receive the honor.
Clark told TIME the following:
 “I’ve been able to captivate so many people that have never watched women’s sports, let alone basketball, and turn them into fans. You feel powerful. Instantly, everybody goes crazy. People are invested in the game, they love the game, and that’s what makes it so fun for me. These people aren’t supporting women’s sports to check a box. It’s going to be the new normal.”
She also 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.”
