Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Caitlin Clark

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Caitlin Clark made an impact.

Caitlin Clark is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA. Widely considered one of the greatest female collegiate players, she earned the national female college basketball player of the year award twice while at the University of Iowa. Clark holds the distinction of being the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer. Her influence has significantly increased the popularity of women's basketball, a trend often referred to as the 'Caitlin Clark effect'.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1993: Iowa Reaches Final Four

In 1993, Caitlin Clark led Iowa to its first Final Four appearance, marking a significant milestone for the program.

2018: Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Championship

In the summer of 2018, Caitlin Clark led the All Iowa Attack to win the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League championship, scoring 23 points in the final against Cal Storm.

February 4, 2019: 60-Point Game Against Mason City High School

On February 4, 2019, during her junior season, Caitlin Clark scored 60 points in a game against Mason City High School, marking the second-highest single-game point total in Iowa five-on-five girls' basketball history.

November 12, 2019: Commitment to Iowa

On November 12, 2019, Caitlin Clark announced her commitment to play college basketball for Iowa, choosing them over offers from Iowa State and Notre Dame.

November 25, 2020: Collegiate Debut

On November 25, 2020, Caitlin Clark made her collegiate debut, scoring 27 points and recording eight rebounds and four assists in a win over Northern Iowa.

January 6, 2021: 37 Points Against Minnesota

On January 6, 2021, Caitlin Clark recorded 37 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists in a win against Minnesota.

November 9, 2021: Sophomore Season Debut

On November 9, 2021, Caitlin Clark debuted in her sophomore season, recording 26 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in a win over New Hampshire.

2021: FIBA Under-19 Women's World Cup MVP

In 2021, Caitlin Clark won a gold medal with the United States at the FIBA Under-19 Women's World Cup, where she was named Most Valuable Player.

January 2, 2022: 44 Points Against Evansville

On January 2, 2022, Caitlin Clark scored 44 points in a win over Evansville, breaking the Carver-Hawkeye Arena women's single-game scoring record.

January 16, 2022: Fourth Career Triple-Double

On January 16, 2022, Caitlin Clark recorded her fourth career triple-double, with 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a victory over Nebraska.

March 5, 2022: Big Ten Tournament Semifinals

On March 5, 2022, Caitlin Clark recorded 41 points and nine rebounds in the Big Ten tournament semifinals, leading Iowa to a win over Nebraska.

March 2022: Clark partners with Coralville Community Food Pantry for donation push

In March 2022, Caitlin Clark partnered with the Coralville Community Food Pantry in Coralville, Iowa, for a month-long donation push and meet-and-greet to "Team Up Against Hunger", encouraging $22 donations from the public.

January 23, 2023: Win Against Ohio State

On January 23, 2023, Caitlin Clark recorded 28 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds in a win over AP No. 2 Ohio State.

October 2023: Clark forms the Caitlin Clark Foundation

In October 2023, Caitlin Clark formed the Caitlin Clark Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a mission "to uplift and improve the lives of youth and their communities through education, nutrition, and sport."

2023: Most-viewed women's college basketball game in history

In 2023, Caitlin Clark helped the national championship game become the most-viewed women's college basketball game in history with 9.9 million viewers.

2023: Clark signs with Excel Sports Management and becomes highest-earning college athlete

In 2023, Caitlin Clark signed with Excel Sports Management and was estimated to be one of the highest-earning college athletes due to name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. She signed NIL deals with companies including Nike, Gatorade, Hy-Vee, Bose, Buick, Goldman Sachs, H&R Block, Shoot-A-Way, and Topps.

February 2024: Clark becomes top-selling college athlete on Fanatics

In February 2024, Caitlin Clark became the top-selling college athlete on the online sports merchandise retailer Fanatics, surpassing Shedeur Sanders.

February 29, 2024: Declares for 2024 WNBA Draft

On February 29, 2024, Caitlin Clark announced her decision to declare for the 2024 WNBA draft, forgoing her fifth year of eligibility.

March 2024: Clark partners with Panini and Gainbridge

In March 2024, Caitlin Clark became the first female athlete to have an exclusive partnership with Panini, signing a multi-year contract with the trading card company. In the same month, she also signed a multiyear sponsorship with Gainbridge, an Indianapolis-based financial platform, joining Billie Jean King and Annika Sörenstam as brand ambassadors.

March 2024: Invited to US National Team training camp

In March 2024, Caitlin Clark was one of 14 players, and the only college player, to receive an invitation from the United States national team to the final training camp for the 2024 Summer Olympics, although she was unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts.

April 15, 2024: Selected as first overall pick in WNBA draft

On April 15, 2024, Caitlin Clark was selected as the first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, marking a significant milestone in her career.

April 2024: Clark makes a cameo on Saturday Night Live

In April 2024, Caitlin Clark made a cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live, where she criticized Michael Che's jokes about women's basketball and wrote new jokes for him.

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April 2024: Report of pending eight-year contract between Clark and Nike

In April 2024, The Wall Street Journal and The Athletic reported a pending eight-year, $28 million contract between Caitlin Clark and Nike, which would include a signature shoe deal and would be the largest sponsorship deal ever for a women's basketball player.

May 2024: Clark serves as executive producer on Full Court Press

In May 2024, Caitlin Clark served as an executive producer on the ESPN+ docuseries Full Court Press, which followed three women's college basketball players during the 2023–24 season.

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May 2024: Clark signs deal with Wilson Sporting Goods

In May 2024, Caitlin Clark signed a multi-year deal with Wilson Sporting Goods and became the first athlete since Michael Jordan to release signature Wilson basketball collections.

June 7, 2024: Ties rookie single-game record with seven three-pointers

On June 7, 2024, Caitlin Clark scored 30 points again and tied Crystal Robinson's rookie single-game record with seven three-pointers, also leading her team to an 85–83 win over the Washington Mystics.

August 18, 2024: New WNBA rookie assist record

On August 18, 2024, Caitlin Clark set a new WNBA rookie assist record, surpassing the previous record held by Ticha Penicheiro since 1998, in a 92–75 win over the Seattle Storm.

November 2024: Clark joins ownership group for NWSL team in Cincinnati

In November 2024, it was announced that Caitlin Clark had joined the ownership group intending to bring an expansion National Women's Soccer League team to Cincinnati.

2024: Clark has helped raise over $100,000 for Coralville Community Food Pantry

As of 2024, Caitlin Clark has helped raise over $100,000 for Coralville Community Food Pantry.

2024: Selected First Overall in WNBA Draft

In 2024, Caitlin Clark was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft. During her first season, she won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, was named to the All-WNBA First Team, and played in the WNBA All-Star Game.

2024: Breaks women's college basketball viewership record

In 2024, Caitlin Clark's final three games at the NCAA tournament each broke the women's college basketball viewership record, culminating with 18.9 million viewers for the national championship game.

2024: Changing the dimensionality of the game

In 2024, The Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay wrote that Caitlin Clark is changing the dimensionality of the game because of the distance she can shoot from and how well she can pass.

January 2025: Caitlin Clark Foundation teams up with Scholastic

In January 2025 on Caitlin Clark's 23rd birthday, the Caitlin Clark Foundation teamed up with Scholastic and their national literacy program, United States of Readers. The foundation also announced its plan to donate 22,000 books to under-resourced schools in Iowa and Indiana.

February 9, 2025: Clark appears in Nike Super Bowl commercial

On February 9, 2025, Caitlin Clark appeared in a 90-second Nike commercial in the 2025 Super Bowl featuring some of the world's top female athletes.

March 2025: Caitlin Clark Foundation introduces Community Courts Initiative

In March 2025, the Caitlin Clark Foundation began a partnership with Musco and introduced the foundation's new "Community Courts Initiative". The foundation also announced plans for new Musco Mini-Pitch Systems to be installed in four middle schools within the Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) district.

April 2025: Hy-Vee releases a limited-edition Cool Blue Gatorade bottle featuring Clark

In April 2025, Hy-Vee released a limited-edition Cool Blue Gatorade bottle featuring Caitlin Clark, which was sold exclusively at Hy-Vee stores.

May 2025: The Caitlin Clark Foundation presents donation to Feeding America

In May 2025, the Caitlin Clark Foundation presented a $300,802 donation to Feeding America at the Food Bank of Iowa from their round-up campaign, estimated to provide about 3 million meals to food insecure communities in the Midwest.

May 17, 2025: Records third career triple-double

On May 17, 2025, Caitlin Clark opened her second year in the WNBA with a dominant performance, recording her third career triple-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, in the Fever's 93–58 win over the Chicago Sky.

June 2025: Nominated for two ESPY Awards

In June 2025, Caitlin Clark was nominated for two ESPY Awards, Best Record-Breaking Performance and Best WNBA Player, highlighting her remarkable achievements in the WNBA.

June 2025: Release of Caitlin Clark Kobe 5 'Indiana Fever' and debut of Kobe 6 Protro 'The Bellas'

In June 2025, Nike announced that the Player Exclusive (PE), called "Caitlin Clark Kobe 5 'Indiana Fever'", would be available for purchase in a limited drop. Her "Indiana Fever" PEs sold out immediately upon release on June 30. Also in June 2025, Clark debuted another PE with Nike, a Kobe 6 Protro called "The Bellas", in honor of Clark's family dog.

August 2025: Clark partners with Stanley

In August 2025, Caitlin Clark became the first female athlete to form a multi-year partnership with Stanley.

August 25, 2025: Nike introduces Clark as their newest signature athlete and reveals her signature logo

On August 25, 2025, Nike introduced Caitlin Clark as their newest signature athlete and revealed her signature logo. Her logo apparel collection is to drop in fall 2025 and her signature shoe and apparel collection in 2026.