Caitlin Clark, a 22-year-old basketball superstar, was awarded Time’s Athlete of the Year thanks to her record-breaking college and basketball success and WNBA skills.
While playing guard for the University of Iowa in 2024, Clark set the record as the top scorer in NCAA basketball history. Clark set the NCAA Division I women’s basketball scoring record and surpassed the legendary Pete Maravich’s record, achieving this impressive feat across all of Division I. Later, Indiana Fever selected her as the top overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.
Her newfound popularity and talent on the court have helped tremendously with women’s basketball support and interest. With Caitlin’s help along with other athletes, this was the first year the NCAA women’s national championship had higher views than the men’s national championship. . NBC.com states, “The team saw an 182% jump in overall attendance from 2023, as teams across the league moved their home games against Indiana to NBA arenas.” Caitlin was named Rookie of the Year by setting new rookie WNBA records for points and three-pointers and a new league record for assists in a season. She became the first rookie to get a triple-double (When a player records double-digit numbers in three categories during a single game) and made the most dimes (a type of pass that leads to an assist) ever in a single game.
https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/wnba/time-athlete-of-the-year-2024-caitlin-clark/1812080/
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/10/sport/caitlin-clark-time-athlete-of-the-year-spt/index.html
