The Clark Effect; Season One Recap

Three-thousand-six hundred and sixty-eight. That’s exactly how many points it took Caitlin Clark to break the all-time scoring record in NCAA basketball. Previously, the record had been held by Pete Maravich since 1970. From the very beginning of her collegiate career, which was spent at the University of Iowa with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark has changed the game. Widely regarded as one of the greatest collegiate basketball players of all time, Clark has helped popularize the game of women’s basketball – and what is often referred to as “The Clark Effect”, has only grown since she was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

In just her first season with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark led the NCAA’s Division I in scoring, and earned All-American honors. The following year, as a sophomore, Clark became the first female player to lead the NCAA’s Division I in both points and assists in a single season, and was also a unanimous first-team All-American. As a Junior, Clark continued to grow her already impressive list of accomplishments. She helped carry her team to their first National Championship game, once again led the division in assists, set the Big Ten conference single-season marks in points and assists, and was named the National Player of the Year at the 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four. Before breaking Maravich’s all-time scoring record in her final season as a Hawkeye, Clark broke the NCAA Division I career scoring record for women’s basketball, previously held by Kelsey Plum, became the single season leader in points and three pointers for NCAA women’s basketball, broke the all-time Big Ten Conference record in assists, and simultaneously led the NCAA in both points and assists overall. Clark once again led her team to the NCAA Final Four and national title game, where the Hawkeyes ultimately fell short 87-75 against South Carolina. Clark was named National Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, received AP Player of the Year, the John R. Wooden Award, the Honda Sports Award, USBWA National Player of the Year, the Honda Cup, the James E. Sullivan Award, Naismith College Player of the Year, the Wade Trophy, the Nancy Lieberman Award as the top Division I point guard, was unanimously named a first-team All American, won the ESPY Award for Best Female College Athlete and became the first female athlete to win the ESPY Award for Best Record-Breaking Performance, and was named as the Big Ten conference’s Female Athlete of the Year. 

Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, all players were granted a fifth season of NCAA eligibility to make up for the 2020/2021 season. However, Clark forwent her extra year of collegiate play, and declared for the WNBA Draft in February of 2022. On April 15th, 2024, she was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever. Clark’s WNBA debut was on May 14th 2024 versus the Connecticut Sun. Though it’s true that Clark put up 20 points in the 92-71 Fever loss, she also committed 10 turnovers; the most ever committed in a WNBA debut. Despite her early setbacks however, Clark’s learning curve to the league’s level of play was quick, and led to her unprecedented rookie season. Just over a week after her debut game, Clark earned her first WNBA career double-double, helping the Fever claim their first win of the season against the Los Angeles Sparks. Clark was controversially left off of the USA Women’s National Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she didn’t let it affect her game on the court. Alongside Angel Reese, Clark became one of two rookies selected to play in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, Arizona. In the selection process, Clark received 700,735 fan votes; the most ever in league history. In the All-Star game itself, Clark would go on to set the rookie record for All-Star game assists. Four days after being named to the All-Star team, Clark made history once again, becoming both the first WNBA rookie and the first Indiana Fever player to ever record a triple-double. In the 83-78 victory over the New York Liberty, Clark registered 19 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds. That same month, Clark set the WNBA single-game assist record by registering 19 assists against the Dallas Wings, surpassing previous record holder Courtney Vandersloot. Simultaneously, with her 24 points and 19 assists, she also broke Diana Taurasi’s 2006 record for points produced in the game. In August, Clark broke two more notable records, including the WNBA rookie assists record, which had been previously held by Ticha Penicheiro since 1998, and the WNBA record for three-pointers made in a rookie season, overtaking Rhyne Howard’s 2022 record. Prior to the end of the regular season, Clark would go on to register her second triple-double in a match against the Los Angeles Sparks, and break the WNBA single-season assist record. 

She finished the regular season averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, leading the Indiana Fever to their first playoff appearance and their best overall record since 2016. Ultimately, the Fever were swept by the Connecticut Sun in the first round of playoffs – but nonetheless things ended on a high note; with a historic season under their belts both for the Indiana Fever, and the WNBA as a whole. 

Clark received 66 of 67 votes for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, a near unanimous win, and she became the fifth rookie in the league’s history to earn a spot on the All-WNBA First Team. A comprehensive summary of her rookie season, as featured on the Indiana Fever’s Instagram account, can be seen below;

• WNBA Rookie of the Year
• WNBA leader in APG
• WNBA leader in 3PM
• Most AST in a season in WNBA history 
• Most AST in a game in WNBA history
• Most PTS in a season in franchise history
• Most PTS by a point guard in a season in WNBA history
• 1st rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double (X2)
• 1st player in franchise history to record a triple-double
• 1st in PPG by a rookie
• 1st in APT by a rookie
• 1st in SPG by a rookie 
• 1st in FGM by a rookie 
• 1st in 3PM by a rookie 
• Most PTS by a rookie ever
• Most AST by a rookie ever
• Most 3PM by a rookie ever
• Most double-digit games by a rookie ever
• Most double-doubles in a season in franchise history 
• Most double-doubles by a rookie guard in WNBA history
• Most career 10+ AST games in franchise history
• 1st player in WNBA history with 20+ PTS, 15+ AST & 5+ REB in a game
• Tied WNBA record for most career games with 25+ PTS and & 10+ AST
• 4X WNBA Rookie of the Month
• 3X Eastern Conference Player of the Week
• 1st player in WNBA history to be named Player of the Month & Rookie of the Month in the same month
• Most AST by a rookie in All-Star game history
• Most All-Star fan votes ever

More than being a generational talent, Clark’s impact spans far beyond the court. Her impact on the women’s basketball game, and “The Clark Effect” phenomenon has been undeniable since her collegiate career at the University of Iowa. Time and time again, publications have attributed the rise of both live attendance and TV viewership of women’s basketball to Clark. In her third season with the Hawkeyes, the 2023 national championship game between the University of Iowa and Louisiana State University gathered the attention of 9.9 million viewers – making it the most-viewed women’s college basketball game in history. In a preseason game her senior season, Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes set the women’s basketball attendance record, with 55,646 fans watching live in Kinnick Stadium, where they faced off against the DePaul Blue Demons. Clarks final three collegiate games at the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four consecutively broke the women’s college basketball viewership record. The National Championship game against South Carolina attracted 18.9 million viewers, making it the most-viewed basketball game at any level since 2019, and the first women’s NCAA tournament final to draw more viewers than the corresponding men’s final. Post college-career, Clark has continued to be a driving force of both viewership and attendance in the WNBA. The Indiana Fever routinely reached over a million viewers per game throughout the regular season and their brief playoff run, with games featuring Clark averaging 1.18 million viewers. To put this impact into perspective, the average viewership for all other WNBA games was 394,000. Prior to Clark’s debut, the last time the WNBA reached over 1 million viewers was in 2008. The Indiana Fever became the top WNBA team in total home and away game attendance, with fans from across the nation traveling to see Clark in action. Fever Ticket sales went up more than 250%, and their jersey sales saw an increase of over 1000% by the midseason point. They also saw a 225% increase in corporate sponsorship, currently have the largest number of team sponsors in the WNBA, became the most followed team in the league, and saw a 10X increase in fans interacting with their website and mobile app. 

Statistics (both on and off the court) aside, the impact of “The Clark Effect” is bigger than the sport of basketball itself. In just one season of professional basketball following an impressive collegiate trajectory, Clark has continuously inspired the next generation of female athletes. Through both her learning curves and her history breaking moments on the court, Clark’s influence sets the standard for what young girls across the world can dream of one day accomplishing. Off the court, Clark has also established herself as a positive role model and philanthropist. Since the beginning of her rise to the spotlight, Clark has consistently used her fame for good. In 2023, she established The Caitlin Clark Foundation, which has a goal of uplifting and improving the lives of youth through three pillars; education, nutrition and sport. Clark has already raised over $25,000 for the Coralville Community Food Pantry through this foundation, and has additionally donated $35,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa. Recently in 2024, Clark’s foundation hosted a ‘Back-to-School Backpacks’ initiative, in which she successfully distributed over 350 backpacks filled with school supplies to public and parochial students across the Des Moines community – Clark’s hometown. It may be her on-court talent that brought an unprecedented level of attention to women’s basketball and women’s sports overall, but it’s her perseverance, engagement with fans, and genuine personality that has captured the hearts of every young girl who dreams of one day being a professional athlete.