Clark recognizes that her biggest accomplishment is the impact she has had on those around her.
![Caitlin Clark.](https://img-cdn.inc.com/image/upload/w_600,ar_16:9,c_fill,g_auto,q_auto:best/images/panoramic/caitlin-clark-inc-GettyImages-1476932200_539708_w2jcwc.webp)
Caitlin Clark. Photo: Getty Images
Retiring a number is a pretty big honor. In most cases, it’s done after a player leaves a team, or leaves a sport altogether. Iowa, for its part, has retired the numbers of only two other players from its women’s team.
As for Clark’s number 22, the program isn’t even waiting for her to go anywhere. Sure, her career at Iowa is technically over, but she’s still a student for a few more weeks, at least. And, as the expected number one overall draft pick, she’s likely going to have a long career in the WNBA.
All of that tells you just how big of a deal Iowa considers Clark’s contribution to both the program and the sport as a whole. “We always knew your jersey would be hanging in the rafters,” Goetz said. “It is a privilege for me to now make that official. You will be the last to wear number 22.”
There will never be another @CaitlinClark22 & there will never be another 2️⃣2️⃣.
The #Hawkeyes will retire Clark's No. 22. pic.twitter.com/bTyWRXwJir
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) April 10, 2024
In response, Clark made it clear that she understands the weight of this honor. Of course, she has been carrying the weight of the program and the sport for the past two years.
After winning the national championship, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley–who is no stranger to the spotlight herself–made sure to point out just how much of a weight Clark has carried. “I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” Staley said. “She carried a heavy load for our sport, and it’s not going to stop here on the collegiate tour. When she’s the number one pick in the WNBA draft, she’s going to lift that league up as well. So Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there, you are one of the GOATs of our game, and we appreciate you.”
Olympic gold medalist and former Player of the Year Rebecca Lobo said that Clark’s greatest legacy is the way she grew the game of women’s basketball. Lobo called Clark a “singular force who has grown the women’s game in ways no college player ever has before.”
Certainly, Clark has grown used to the spotlight. She drew massive crowds to her sport–including a record audience for the championship game against South Carolina. In fact, this year was the first that the women’s NCAA championship game drew a larger audience than the men’s. A big part of that was Clark, who became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, man or woman.
This, I would imagine, feels different. This is the brightest spotlight the school can shine on her, and that’s a lot for a 22-year-old to process. But Clark’s response is actually a remarkably poignant example of emotional intelligence.
“I would say you’ve all inspired me as much as I inspired you,” Clark said to the crowd. That one sentence is a powerful lesson for all of us. It would be easy for Clark to stand in the spotlight and bask in her accomplishments, but that isn’t what she did. At that moment, she turned the spotlight back on those who gave her their attention. She understands that her greatest success is inspiring them, and she uses that as her own inspiration.
“There’s been a lot of really good 22s to come before me and play for this program, whether it’s Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic,” Clark said. “That number holds a lot of weight, far beyond my name, and I guess I’m just really grateful and it will be a special day when it happens, for sure.”
There’s no question that the number 22 stands for more than just Clark’s name. It stands for the impact she has had on the game. She understands that she is an inspiration to thousands, if not millions, of young athletes who see her accomplishments as a door opening for their own dreams.
They see her as a hero, not just because she can make impossibly long three-pointers, but because of how she made people pay attention to the sport in a new way. Hanging her number in the rafters is a symbol of everything she has accomplished, but most of all, for what she did for those around her. Her response shows that she knows it was all about more than just scoring baskets, but growing her sport.
News
Social media goes crazy over Matty Healy’s family’s harsh reaction to claims Taylor Swift’s song is about him – and claims he’s ‘very happy in his new relationship’. |T
Matty Healy‘s family have given a withering assessment of his ex Taylor Swift after she appeared to savage him on her new album. Swift, who briefly dated Healy last spring, is widely believed to take aim at her ex in the song…
‘CREEPY’: Caitlin Clark’s ‘horror’ reporter quickly returns to work – but is trolled by fans: ‘Why are you still employed?’ |T
It was business as usual for Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel on Friday as he returned to work – despite a continuing barrage of abuse over his awkward moment with basketball star Caitlin Clark. Doyel went viral after making a…
Iowa star Gabbie Marshall once opened up about Hawkeyes HC Lisa Bluder’s impact on her career: “Wasn’t just telling me what I needed to hear” |T
Gabbie Marshall is proud to be an Iowa Hawkeye Despite having failed twice to win the national championship, Gabbie Marshall has no regrets about joining Iowa’s women’s basketball program. The 23-year-old Hawkeye joined the program in 2019 and started contributing…
Social media went crazy as Taylor Swift made some interesting references to Travis Kelce on her new album. |T
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift (Photos via Getty Images) Taylor Swift has made some references to her new beau, Travis Kelce, on her newly-released album. The pop star’s highly-anticipated “The Tortured Poets Department” has finally dropped. As expected, most…
Jemele Hill left upset by Caitlin Clark getting her own shoe. |T
Jemele Hill has suggested A’ja Wilson deserves her own signature shoe as well, after it was reported Caitlin Clark would be getting her own line before playing a single game in the WNBA. Clark, according to The Athletic, is set to become just…
Taylor Swift praises boyfriend Travis Kelce on new album! Fans are going crazy over the lyrics about ‘encounter’ in the track. |T
Taylor Swift’s ode to Travis Kelce on new album! Fans go wild over lyric about ‘touchdowns’ on track The Alchemy from The Tortured Poets Department: ‘Trying to be the greatest in the league’ Taylor Swift has dropped her new album…
End of content
No more pages to load