Caitlin Clark Reveals WNBA Legend Who Helped Her Through Fever Rookie Season
Caitlin Clark's reception from the rest of the WNBA was a much discussed topic during her rookie season with the Indiana Fever.
The way she was received by her peers and the league at large was fuel for takes from many prominent voices and it once again reached the national stage when Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson stated she believed the entire WNBA should have been on the cover of Time, not just Clark. That after Clark was named Time's Athlete of the Year of course.
However, the positive stories often don't get amplified quite as much. And during Clark's highly anticipated appearance on New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce she revealed some of the ways she was uplifted in her first professional campaign.
Not only did she discuss how she was helped by her teammates, who guided her through the natural awkwardness of making her way into the league as a presumptive superstar. But she also gave credit to a WNBA legend for giving her advice.
When Jason Kelce asked Caitlin which veterans or former players helped her through the process of adapting to the league, Clark was quick to respond with a specific name.
"Somebody that comes to the top of my head is Tamika Catchings, who was an MVP in the WNBA. She won their championship here...she was like what made the Indiana Fever really good," Clark said.
Clark added, "She was one of the first people to text me after I got picked and still checks in on me. So it's cool, somebody that's not in your building every day but means so much to your community and the organization...She's like a legend. Her number is up in the rafters. That's somebody I idolized and looked up to. For her to take two seconds to check in on me and see how I'm doing, that's obviously really special."
Clark went on to explain why she can not only look to Catchings for advice, but motivation as well.
"Her championship trophy that she won sits in our locker room. It's like right next to my locker...so I have to look at it every day."
This is so dope, shoutout to the OG! https://t.co/PJ1J5pNusd pic.twitter.com/BOZQpFF5NK
— BJ 🎞️ (@fettyfilm) January 2, 2025
It's probably a safe bet that a future Fever rookie will one day be asking Clark for similar advice, and will likely have to look at her championship trophy on a daily basis as well.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!