Clark's Historic Rookie Campaign Culminates in Rookie of the Year Honors

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WNBA Indiana Fever

Clark's Historic Rookie Campaign Culminates in Rookie of the Year Honors

October 3, 2024 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Indiana Fever News Release


Caitlin Clark is a competitor. Beyond the lines of the basketball court, the WNBA's 2024 Rookie of the Year embraces the thrill of a contest - all in pursuit of the sweet taste of victory.

In Des Moines, Iowa, Clark's hometown, trick-or-treaters have to tell a joke before asking for Halloween candy.

"My mom's a stickler about it," Clark said. "Like, if you don't tell a joke, you're not getting any candy. Those poor kids, they know better, so you better have a good joke at Halloween time.

"...My mom, still to this day, will write all the jokes down on a list in her phone and send it to me and my brothers after trick or treat is over. We get a kick out of them."

Clark's younger self wasn't worried about the reactions her jokes garnered as she completed the door-to-door pilgrimage of every young trick-or-treater on October's final evening. She was rushing ahead - ever the competitor - to be the first to each house, and the first to the king sized candy bars.

"I was too worried about beating everybody I was trick-or-treating with to the next house," Clark said. "...I was too worried about getting the full size candy bars and being the first to knock on the door...I was in a full sweat at trick or treat, like I came home I had to go straight to the shower before I counted my candy.

"Because that's all that mattered, is that I got first. I got first every year at the amount of candy I had, I was the first in the door. I had the best costume. I had the best joke, I just dominated trick or treat."

The Fever guard has dominated the basketball world long after her Des Moines Halloween escapades, throwing down averages of 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists in her debut WNBA campaign as she shattered league and franchise records en route to a historic rookie season.

The complete list of her accomplishments in her professional inauguration is a catalog of startling length that packs WNBA records among Indiana Fever franchise records, most of which are qualified by "and counting" to represent the ever-evolving nature of Clark's offensive prowess.

Learn More about Caitlin Clark's Rookie Accomplishments »

The first rookie to record a triple-double in WNBA history. The first triple-double in Fever franchise history, and later, the second triple double in franchise history. The league record holder for assists in a single game. The league record holder for assists in a single season. Most points and assists by a rookie in WNBA history.

The WNBA's 2024 Rookie of the Year.

Clark's tidal wave of success came in the midst of a hurricane of attention. Instead of buckling under the pressure of expectation or succumbing to the numbing lull of online narratives, she got to work executing and improving. But it's more than just basketball for Clark - it's the relationships and the moments, it's the opportunities and experiences that the game brings to everyone involved. From young kids to her own teammates, family members, or friends, Clark's focus remained on the people around her.

"I think that's what makes a really good team," Clark said. "And that's how you appreciate every single person in your circle, whether they get off the bench [or] whether they're in the starting five, and that's something that I value greatly. Finding comfort in that, and learning in that, and building my relationships with my teammates to know that they always have my best interests at heart."

Beyond the outside noise that cast a static crackle of conversation over Indiana for the entirety of the season, Clark dug into those team relationships.

"Once you build relationships with people and get comfortable, it just kind of changes how you interact daily," coach Christie Sides said. "...Caitlin is really a funny person. She has us laughing a lot out on the practice court a lot of times."

The break within the tension of collective expectation took Indiana from a 1-8 start to the sixth seed in the playoffs - a place the Fever franchise hadn't been since 2016. Though they were eliminated by the Connecticut Sun, Indiana's season was a massive success, thanks in large part to Clark.

Clark's scoring average jumped from 17.1 points per game before the WNBA's Olympic break to 23.1 in the second half of the season. She recorded four 30-point outings, two before the break and two afterwards.

"There's been so many amazing moments," Clark began. "But it's the moments that none of you see that I enjoy the most...At the end of the day, basketball is basketball...The people around me are what allow me to be really good at it, allow me to have a lot of fun, allow me to be myself.

"...At the end of the day, it's the people and the relationships and the memories outside of that, and if it's not for you as a professional athlete, I feel like you're doing it wrong. I mean, championships are great, hopefully we have a few of those, but you want to have really good relationships with people at the end of the day."

Though the curtains have closed on Clark's historic rookie season, she gave Indianapolis quite the show as she gritted her way to Rookie of the Year honors. She'll fade into the comforting quiet of the offseason as the Fever prepare to return back and better for her sophomore campaign in 2025.

"I know there's a lot of room for me to continue to improve," Clark said. "So that's what excites me the most. I feel like I could continue to get a lot better, and before we know it, I'm sure we'll all be back here and ready for the next year."

For now, Fever fans and WNBA fans alike will await the sequel to a season that transformed the landscape of women's basketball.

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