Caitlin Clark Wins ‘Time’ Athlete of the Year Award, Reflects on ‘Historic’ Rookie Season

The Indiana Fever just added another accolade to her ever-growing résumé.

Caitlin Clark / Ron Hoskins/Getty Images

Caitlin Clark just added yet another accolade to her résumé in what has been a momentous year. On Dec. 10, Time named the Indiana Fever point guard their 2024 Athlete of the Year, honoring the 22-year-old for her accomplishments on and off the court.

The announcement comes just a few months after Clark was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, garnering almost unanimous support from the panel of sportswriters and broadcasters casting votes. Her first season in the League saw a handful of other impressive accomplishments, too. She was named to the WNBA All-Star, All-WNBA First Team and WNBA All-Rookie Team. She was also the League assists leader on the season.

In other words, the latest honor doesn’t come as much of a surprise. In an interview with Time, Clark herself called the past year “historic.” It began with her last season of NCAA Division I basketball at Iowa and ended with a successful rookie season in the books (and all of the various accolades that her first season with the Fever had to offer).

Clark is, understandably, proud of the impact that she has had in the women’s sporting world. “I’ve been able to captivate so many people that have never watched women’s sports, let alone women’s basketball, and turn them into fans,” she told Time.

And she doesn’t think the uptick in viewership is a temporary phenomenon, either. Things are changing for the better—and permanently if you ask the young star. And it makes her feel “powerful,” she said. “Instantly, everybody goes crazy. People are invested in the game, they love the game, and that’s what makes it so fun for me. These people aren’t supporting women’s sports to check a box. It’s going to be the new normal.”

With one pro season down and likely many to go, Clark doesn’t want her influence to dwindle. On the contrary, she’s hoping to accomplish much more during her time in the League. “Personally, I’m just scratching the surface of what I can do and hopefully how I can change the world and impact people,” she remarked. “There’s also been so many people that are not involved in women’s sports, that are just in the workforce, or whatever they do, and they’re just like, ‘Thank you for what you do for women.’ I’ve heard that a million times.”

Over the course of the past year, her impact and influence has been undeniable. Going forward, she’s looking to double down.