Caitlin Clark caps brilliant 2024 with another esteemed honor

Caitlin Clark had one of the most transcendent years of any athlete in recent memory during 2024. Whether she was breaking records at the University of Iowa or in the WNBA, Clark was the center of attention. To that end, The Associated Press decided to name her Female Athlete of the Year for 2024.

Although Clark came home with the award, she didn’t win the honor by a wide margin. As The Associated Press revealed, the Indiana Fever star claimed 35 votes, while gold medal gymnast Simone Biles garnered 25 votes. Olympic boxer Imane Khelif received four votes.

The Associated Press has given this award since 1931, so it has a lot of historic significance. Clark became just the fourth women’s basketball player to take home the award, as Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo and Candace Parker previously accomplished the feat. Parker took home the honor twice, in 2008 and in 2021.

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Clark told The Associated Press, “I grew up a fan of Candace Parker and the people who came before me and to be honored in this way, is super special and I’m thankful. It was a great year for women’s basketball and women’s sports.” The Associated Press gave her the award for her contributions on and off of the court.

Rebecca Lobo was impressed by Clark’s ability to handle the pressure. She told The Associated Press, “I would say she’s navigated it almost flawlessly. She hasn’t had any big missteps or misspeaks at a time you’re under constant scrutiny. She’s seemed to say and do all the right things. That’s just incredible at a time when it’s constant attention and scrutiny.”

Tyrese Haliburton from the NBA’s Indiana Pacers said to The Associated Press, “You’d be remiss not to acknowledge how crazy her fan base is and the eyes she gets with everything she does. It’s a different type of popularity, she’s one of the most popular athletes in the world. It’s not just women’s sports anymore.”

Clark takes her responsibility to her fans seriously. She said, “For me it’s still really fun. Whether it’s 15 seconds or 10 seconds or 5 seconds can be very impactful in a young girl and young boys life. Seeing the fans going crazy an hour before tipoff, I never take that for granted. That’s super cool and I never want that to go away.”

At the conclusion of the WNBA regular season, Clark was named the league’s Rookie of the Year. She grabbed every available vote except one, which went to Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.

As 2024 winded down, Clark was bestowed with another historic honor. She was named Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year, considering all athletes, regardless of gender. The Time Magazine piece described her as polite and down-to-earth, but she’s well aware of the importance she carries.

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Clark told Time Magazine, “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.” Sean Gregory of Time Magazine wrote, “good luck naming another player who altered the trajectory of their entire team sport within five months on the job.”

Clark said, “I tell people I feel like the most controversial person. But I am not. It’s just because of all the storylines that surround me. I literally try to live and treat everybody in the same exact, respectful, kind way. It just confuses me at times.”

Clark even received some votes for WNBA MVP during the 2024 season, with the award ultimately going to A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. The Indiana Fever star ultimately finished fourth in MVP voting during her rookie year.

NBA legend LeBron James has been a huge fan of Caitlin Clark. He told Esquire, “I have a great deal of respect for Caitlin Clark, because I know exactly what it means to be drafted, be the face of a franchise, and also get the scrutiny from a lot of people that don’t believe you’re ready for the next jump, don’t believe you’re ready for the big leagues, and just don’t think you belong.”

James continued, “I’ve been in support of her since day one… She’s a transcendent player. And obviously we all saw that at Iowa, and I knew that it would translate to the big leagues. And she’s an unbelievable talent. It’s great to watch.”

As Basketball Reference captures, Caitlin Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. She set the single-season WNBA assists record as a rookie, which speaks to her passing skills as well as her trademark long range shooting ability.

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Caitlin Clark has won some of sports’ most coveted awards in 2024. It’s fair to wonder what she can do for an encore in 2025 and beyond.