Caitlin Clark joined Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe for their A Touch More Live presented by Delta and Icy Hot in Indianapolis on Friday, July 18, and opened up to the pair about when she realized her life was changing and about what fans often misunderstand about her. It turns out Clark is really "goofy" off the court, she said.
"A lot of my teammates would say that. Even Steph White was saying this the other day, people don’t realize I’m just comedic relief in the locker room," Clark explained. She also pointed out that even though she's "fiery" on the court, that attitude doesn't translate to her day-to-day. "I just have fun. I have a good time. So I feel like that’s hard for people to understand because they only watch us for a couple of hours a week."
Clark also spoke to Rapinoe and Bird about social media, and the profound impact it can have on each of our lives. "Well I think first, you have to remember social media is such a false perception of reality and even for myself, you don’t always realize that at times," she said. Clark added that social media platforms are not "the real world" and emphasized that she feels most connected to basketball fans when she's playing on the court.
The fans that show up, and especially the kids, "aren’t the people that are on social media caring about every decision you make or every comment you make," Clark continued.
Clark also acknowledged that her life is unique, even for a WNBA player. "I always try to remind myself how lucky I am to be here, be in this position too. There are so many people that would kill to be in my shoes. There’s going to be hard moments but at the same time, there’s been a lot of really good moments, too. That’s what I try to remind myself honestly," she said.
Caitlin Clark on when she realized life was changing
Clark has obviously experienced a lot of changes in the last few years. She pointed to two moments — when Iowa played UConn in the Sweet Sixteen her freshman year of college, and again when the university played Louisville and won, which landed them in the Final Four in Seattle — as pivotal times when she realized life was truly moving in a new direction.
Like most of us, Clark is not immune to getting excited about people she respects, especially other basketball players. "The amount of people that took notice that were celebrities or you guys or other players in the basketball world. There’s one person that really made me starstruck, probably, was Lebron. Because Lebron was the person I grew up absolutely loving. He was my Michael Jordan, because I was younger," she added.
Clark will not participate in All-Star events
On Thursday, Clark announced she has pulled out of the 3-point contest Friday night as well as the All-Star Game Saturday night due to her third injury of the season. The decision is a tough one made after plenty of thought, and it has raised questions about what the rest of Clark's season might look like.