Caitlin Clark remains amazed by the “enormity” of her impact on women’s basketball despite Maya Moore and Tamika Catching’s earlier success in the WNBA

Caitlin Clark is responsible for putting women’s basketball back on the map. Many believe she will lead the WNBA to the top based on the historic run she had in college. The University of Iowa star recently finished his college career, which unfortunately did not result in an NCAA Championship win. But he certainly owned the entire 2023-24 college basketball season.

Just before making her final NCAA Tournament run, the 22-year-old announced she was going to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft. He was the obvious No. 1 overall pick and to no surprise, the Indiana Fever welcomed him as the top pick earlier this week. Clark is currently preparing to suit up alongside former No. 1 overall pick Aaliyah Boston and Indiana All-Star Kelsey Mitchell.

Caitlin Clark was inspired by WNBA legend Maya Moore

Shortly after being drafted into the WNBA, Caitlin Clark joined Pat McAfee on his podcast. Clark talked about dominating the game of basketball and experiencing great levels of success. he said “I think I’ve always had big goals and dreams and aspirations. But at the same time, it’s a place women’s basketball has never really been before. So it’s like no, I never really imagined it to this degree.”

Clark broke multiple records this past season as he also became the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader. He broke Pete Maravich’s 50-year record. Clark also gave a little insight into his childhood as he said, “I’ve always been a big supporter of women’s basketball. It’s always been something I’ve loved since I was young. I grew up watching the Minnesota Lynx, they had a dynasty and Maya Moore was my favorite player.

Moore was responsible for leading the Lynx to four WNBA titles. She was also a 6x WNBA All-Star, a steals leader, a scoring leader and a former Rookie of the Year. Moore also saw much success while playing for Team USA Basketball, winning five gold medals between 2009 and 2016. The former WNBA player is also an advocate for people who have seen injustice. She was instrumental in her husband’s release from prison after being wrongfully detained for over 20 years.

The Indiana Fever’s No. 1 overall pick is poised to take over the WNBA

Caitlin Clarke is inevitably going to bring a lot of success to the Fever organization in the future. However, the transition from college to the pro league has never been an easy task, even for some like Kelsey Plum. Clarke addressed the shift, saying, “I think that’s something that’s really important to me. But I feel like I don’t know where everything went, I feel like I just tried to stay in the middle.”

Indiana Fever players had Kaitlyn’s jersey ready 😭

(via @Indianafever)pic.twitter.com/3T5YWtGYua

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 16, 2024

He added, “I think one of the best pieces of advice anyone has ever given me is that at the same level you feel all the praise, you will feel all the hate. So I try to stay right in the middle. But yeah, it doesn’t really bother me. I think that’s what comes with it.” Clark is expected to make his debut in the 2024 NBA preseason. The Fever will play against the Dallas Wings on May 3. Indiana’s regular season opener is May 14 against the Connecticut Sun.