Caitlin Clark.
Adam Boettcher/Getty ImagesCaitlin Clark She's changing the trajectory of women's basketball with her record-breaking performances and long-distance shooting, and celebrities are taking notice.
Clark, a senior guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes, averaged 32 points per game during the regular season and in March became NCAA Division I's all-time leading scorer across men's and women's basketball, breaking a record that had stood for 54 years. In April 2024, Clark was selected in the first round and first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever.
Clark is another All-American star who will play in the WNBA. Angel Reese — In the Elite Eight game on April 1, she Paige Bueckers On April 5th, the University of Connecticut Huskies played.
The Iowa vs. Louisiana State game drew more than 12 million viewers, making it the most-watched game in women's college basketball history. From ESPNClark's talents have spurred unprecedented interest in women's basketball, with universities hosting Iowa seeing attendance increases of more than 150 percent compared to other home games, and viewership for women's college basketball is higher than the average for men's college basketball, increasing by 60 percent across all networks.
Everyone from the President of the United States to Ted Lasso himself has spoken about Clark, so scroll down to see which celebrities are Clark's biggest fans. Jason Sudeikis, Travis Scott, Joe Biden and Ice cubes:
Jason Sudeikis
Sudeikis to star in Apple TV+ sports comedy Ted Lasso She is also a longtime fan of women's sports. SNL Alumni showed their support for Clark and the Hawkeyes at the Elite Eight game on April 1, cheering on the team. “You can't see me” gesture After Clark hit a big shot in a game. (Clark and Reese are iconic.) John Cena Gestures from previous games.
This was Sudeikis' second Iowa game this season – he's also a frequent attendee of WNBA games – and he was seen embracing Clark and posing for photos with the team after Iowa's 94-87 win over LSU.
The official March Madness women's basketball Instagram account shared a video of Sudeikis after the game showing off a Togethxr-branded sweatshirt that read, “Everybody Watches Women's Sports.” Fans responded in the comments section, Ted Lasso A spin-off featuring a women's soccer team.
Travis Scott
Though Clark, the rapper, boasts more than 55 million followers on Instagram, Scott isn't afraid to be a fan of Clark: He was at a Hawkeyes game in early March, cheering on Kaitlynn and posing with the team after the game.
Awesome 🔥Follow X #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/EBgWB9IIfn
— Iowa Women's Basketball (@IowaWBB) March 3, 2024
the same as weScott was also so excited he couldn't leave his seat during the Iowa vs. Louisiana State game. The Grammy-nominated musician said, X “Watching this game made me feel 😬😬😬😬😬,” he wrote during the April 1 game. “Let's go, taaaaaaa.”
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
When Clark broke the NCAA's all-time scoring record, the Big Ten Network rallied her most ardent fans to congratulate her in a video posted to YouTube.
Two of the fans, Hollywood power couple Kutcher and Kunis, couldn't contain their excitement for the Iowa player. “Kaitlynn!” they yell at the beginning of the video. “We just want to congratulate you on breaking the scoring record,” Kutcher said, to which Kunis added, “Wow!”
Tom Brady
Brady also joined in Clark's celebration, posting his own congratulatory message in a video posted to the Big Ten Network.
“Congratulations on the record,” Brady said. “Like the rest of the country, I've been watching you all chase my daughter. Kelsey [Plum]but I know she is proud of you, too. We love witnessing greatness here.”
Brady owns shares in the Las Vegas Aces, the team Plumb, a former NCAA women's basketball leading scorer, currently plays for.
“Keep your head down and get the job done. I'm watching,” Brady added. “Good luck!”
Eli and Peyton Manning
Football legends added their own messages to Clark in a Big Ten Network video following his record-breaking game.
“Congratulations on your incredible achievement,” Eli said. “It's been truly inspiring to watch your performances throughout your career.”
The former New York Giants quarterback added, “I'll be honest with you, your accuracy from long range makes a lot of other quarterbacks look pretty bad. Yeah, I'm just letting you know that. Anyway, congratulations again and I can't wait to see what happens next.”
Payton, who played quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, also sent his congratulations.
“I want to congratulate you on breaking the all-time scoring record,” Payton said. “When I was playing, I never wanted to settle for three points, but you've turned me into a huge fan of the three. It's not easy, but I know you've inspired millions of people along the way.”
President Joe Biden
When Clark became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, the president also offered his congratulations.
“Congratulations to Caitlin Clark for making history as the NCAA's all-time leading scorer,” Biden wrote. X“You make our school proud with 3,685 points and counting,” Clark shared a video of the Iowa women's basketball team.
LeBron James
One of the greatest players in basketball history also sent his congratulations to Clark. X.
“Congratulations to @CaitlinClark22 on becoming the all-time leading scorer!!” James wrote.
The Lakers star also credited players like Clark for the rise in popularity of women's basketball during an interview on April 3. “I think it's because of the icons in women's basketball,” James said. “Angel Reese, Juju [Watkins]Look at Caitlin Clark, look at Paige, look at the freshman girl at Iowa State. [Audi Crooks]You see [Cameron] Blink At Stanford University. This is just one example.”
“You get to build a really iconic legacy with your program,” James continued. “That's what we all love, and why we love women's soccer is because there are moments where you get to actually see the girls. [build that]… Yes, Iowa was a great team. Caitlin Clark was the reason we paid attention.”
Billie Jean King
The former tennis star, one of the biggest advocates for gender equality in sports and legendary winner of the “Battle of the Sexes,” was full of praise for Clarke to ESPN.
“My favorite athletes are those who are champions in both sports and in life, and Caitlin Clark is one of those athletes,” King told the outlet. “She's the hottest star in the world of basketball, not just in women's basketball, but in all of basketball. With that comes a huge responsibility to be a leader on and off the court, and she understands that. That's one of the reasons she has the opportunity to be one of the best in sports and a role model for future generations.”
Stephen Curry
Like Clark, Curry's game hinges on his ability to shoot three-pointers. The Golden State Warriors point guard is a seven-time NBA champion in three-point shooting and one of Clark's role models in the basketball world. The NBA star has repeatedly voiced his admiration for Clark.
“Kaitlyn's a special player,” he told ESPN in February. “Her records speak for themselves, and they're incredible. Scoring-wise, shooting-wise, just doing what she does. I could pick any player she talks to as an inspiration. If she models anything about her game after me, I wouldn't take it for granted.”
Curry spoke at length about Clark's skills a month later, calling her match “must-watch TV.”
“I've watched from afar and I know what a force she is on the court,” Curry said. CBS Morning“The great thing about her game is the way she plays, her range and the level of difficulty of her shots is obviously very close to how I play, but she’s such a good floor player that I think it takes away from other parts of her game. [general]She has a great all-around court game. She's putting up near triple-doubles every night. Her shooting is a superpower, but the rest of her game is just as polished, making this must-watch TV.”
Maya Moore
Clark has said his childhood basketball hero was Moore, an Olympian and University of Connecticut and Minnesota Lynx alumnus. Moore surprised Iowa players at Clark's Senior Day against Ohio State on March 3. A heartwarming video posted by ESPN shows Moore embracing Clark outside the Iowa locker room.
“This was a real throwback moment,” Moore said of Clark as her inspiration. “I remember 10-year-old Maya coming up to me and giving me a hug. Cynthia Cooper Or one of the legends. Just seeing how we still connect and inspire each other and be a family, I love that connection.”
Clark went on to recount a childhood memory of approaching Moore at a basketball game and asking him to sign his T-shirt.
“It's so wonderful to see the little seeds of how we treat each other, how we have fun, how we look at each other, and what it all means,” Moore added. “And now [Clark’s] “Seeing her grow up makes me really proud.”
Tim McGraw
The country singer stopped off in Des Moines, Iowa. Standing room only During the March 21 tour, he wore Clark's jersey throughout the show to cheer on her.
“When I was in Iowa… I had to represent!” McGraw wrote. X Alongside a photo of him pairing her tracksuit with jeans and a cowboy hat, she wrote: “A great year for @CaitlinClark22 and @IowaWBB.”
Ice cubes
The rapper made headlines when it was leaked that he offered Clark $5 million to play in his professional basketball league, the BIG3.
“We intended to keep the offer private while Caitlin Clark was playing in the Championship, but there is no denying what is already clear: The BIG3 have made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark,” he wrote. X“Why not? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve great success in the Big 3.”
Ice Cube continued, “The skeptics think we're Nancy Lieberman As the first female coach of a men's professional team, she led the team to victory in her first year. Lisa Leslie “We won it all in our second year. Our proposal allows Caitlin Clark to make history and break further barriers for female athletes. American female athletes should not be forced to play in shady, questionable foreign countries in the offseason just to make a living.”
The current maximum salary in the WNBA is $250,000 (while the maximum salary in the NBA is in the hundreds of millions of dollars).
Lil Durk
Another rapper had as much faith in Clark as Ice Cube and offered him double the original $5 million offer.
Lil Durk is X He made Clark his own offer, writing, “Play with me and the three of us for $10 million.”
The Chicago rapper expressed his awe of Iowa's players during the Elite Eight game on April 1, writing simply, “OMG Clark.” X.
Serena Williams
The tennis star praised Clark in a documentary series that will premiere on ESPN+ in June 2024. In the Arena: Serena Williams“I love that she's trying to keep her feet on the ground,” Williams told The Associated Press at the event. “She says she doesn't look at social media. [media]… I know. I don't know. I think it's really important that she just carries on doing what she's doing. It doesn't matter what other people do. People are negative because, basically, you can't do what you're doing. I hope she carries on doing what she's doing.”
