Caitlin Clark reveals why she takes time to interact with young fans: ‘Super important’

Caitlin Clark is one of the most popular athletes alive and is only going to get bigger as she begins her professional basketball career in the WNBA on Monday, starting with the draft.

Clark set records across NCAA Division 1 basketball during the 2023-24 season, her last with Iowa. Her games were filled with electric 3-pointers, some from near mid-court, and they were accompanied by screaming fans trying to be witnesses to greatness, the likes of which women’s basketball may have never seen.

The former Hawkeyes star has been seen before or after games interacting with fans and signing autographs. She stressed the importance of doing that in an interview on NBC’s “Today.”

“The people I idolized in my life were either professional women’s basketball players, professional soccer players, and that’s what I wanted to be growing up,” Clark said. “And I think understanding how big of an impact that can have on a young girl’s life is super important.

WNBA LEGEND’S WARNING FOR CAITLIN CLARK BEFORE TURNING PRO: ‘REALITY IS COMING’

“I always try to make as much time as I can for them. And just to see them scream your name or have your jersey on — that’s something that never gets old.”

The Indiana Fever were expected to take Clark with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Clark set the all-time NCAA Division 1 basketball scoring record this year. Iowa fell short in the national championship to Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks.

If Clark goes No. 1, she will be teamed up with last season’s WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston.

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