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Learn about the record-breaking career of basketball superstar Caitlin Clark in this Who HQ Now biography featuring newsmakers and trending topics.
Point guard Caitlin Clark took the world of college basketball by storm when she began playing for the University of Iowa in 2020, earning 27 points in her first game alone. By the end of her college career, Caitlin broke the record for total NCAA career-scoring points by scoring 3,951 points over her four years as an Iowa Hawkeye. The high-scoring athlete grabbed the attention of the world—over 14 million viewers tuned in to watch her playoff games in April of 2024. When it came time to be drafted onto a professional basketball team in the WNBA, Caitlin was the first pick of the first round and was selected by the Indiana Fever. Learn all about the beloved number 22 in this inspiring book that is perfect for basketball fans and young athletes.
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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor
Meri-Jo Borzilleri is a freelance journalist who lives in Bellingham, Washington. She has more than twenty years of experience in print and online media, along with several years teaching journalism at the university level.
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Who Is Caitlin Clark?
On March 3, 2024, Caitlin Clark stood at the free-throw line and on the brink of history.
With a well-practiced flick of her wrist, she sent the basketball in a graceful arc toward the hoop. It rippled through the net. Good!
Then she did it again. This time, the shot was so perfect, the net barely moved. Swish!
In that moment, Caitlin became the highest scorer in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I history, across both women and men. She broke “Pistol Pete” Maravich’s record of 3,667 points, set in 1970—a record that many thought would never be broken, much less by a woman. There were 14,998 fans in the sold-out crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Millions more watched on TV.
Caitlin wasn’t nervous taking the shot, even though the spotlight had been on her for months in anticipation of this moment. In fact, she wasn’t even thinking about the record. Caitlin’s free throw was as routine as it gets. She had made the same shot thousands of times, practicing in her driveway as a kid, playing in high school, and playing for the University of Iowa.
But this game was anything but routine. The attention Caitlin got in the run-up to the record was extraordinary. Even people who did not follow basketball were buzzing about Caitlin. Her trademark “logo threes”—three-pointers made from near mid--court where the school logo was printed—-had made her a household name, like male basketball icons LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
From that moment on, Caitlin had cemented herself in history. She’d only continue to grow more popular, and she’d continue to break records as she debuted in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a professional player.
Now, Caitlin is one of the most beloved athletes in the world—but twenty years ago she had just been a little girl who wanted to play basketball with her brothers.
Chapter 1
Little Caitlin
Caitlin Clark was born on January 22, 2002, in West Des Moines, Iowa, to Brent Clark and
Anne Nizzi--Clark. Caitlin grew up as the middle child of two brothers, Blake and Colin, in a competitive family that loved playing and watching sports.
Brent had played basketball and baseball at Iowa’s Simpson College. Blake, Caitlin’s older brother, was the quarterback for Iowa State’s football team. Caitlin is especially close to her older cousin Audrey Faber, who played basketball for Creighton University and later became a girls’ basketball coach at Dowling Catholic High School, where Caitlin would eventually go to school.
Caitlin’s childhood was full of activities, mostly sports. She played basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, softball, and golf. She didn’t like things like video games—if she wasn’t playing a sport, she’d rather hit a tennis ball against the wall or throw a football around.
She had a competitive spirit even outside of sports. If there was a school math contest in first grade, Caitlin wanted to win. When her older brother Blake first rode his bike without training wheels, four-year-old Caitlin was determined to do it, too.
Caitlin and her brothers were constantly competing against one another. Once, playing basketball in the basement, she missed a shot and, in frustration, shoved Colin into a wall. He hit his head and needed stitches. Caitlin was apologetic, but Colin wasn’t mad at her—-he understood his sister wasn’t being a bully or trying to hurt him. She was just competitive like him.
When Caitlin was around five, her parents put her in a nearby boys’ basketball league where her dad was the coach. Right away, people noticed her, and not just because she was the only girl. She was also the best player on the team! Caitlin played in the league from kindergarten to third grade. She would make long shots that no one else could. Teammates knew that if they got the ball to Caitlin, she would probably score. The boys on opposing teams knew she was the one to stop.
By second grade, Caitlin was the league’s most valuable player (MVP). Her parents put up a hoop above the garage and eventually had to dig up grass to extend the driveway because Caitlin wanted to shoot from farther and farther back.
Basketball wasn’t Caitlin’s only sport. She liked soccer, too. When she was eleven and in a youth league tournament final, she asked her coach if she could shoot from the field’s center circle on a kickoff following a goal. The coach said yes. Caitlin hatched the plan with teammates, one of whom had to touch the ball first. Then, Caitlin took a running start and swung her foot. The kick sailed toward the net, catching the goalkeeper by surprise and scoring a goal! The coach said later this showed how, even at a young age, Caitlin was different—she could do things most kids could not, and saw opportunities that others might not.
Still, basketball remained Caitlin’s favorite. She liked watching college and professional games. The closest WNBA team to the Clarks was the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis, a four--hour drive away. Caitlin loved watching the Lynx play. They won four WNBA championships while she was growing up. Caitlin especially liked all-star Maya Moore, the forward who had played for Caitlin’s favorite college team—-the University of Connecticut—-before turning pro. Once, Caitlin and her dad drove to Minneapolis for a game when Caitlin was twelve. After the game, as fans and players mixed on court, Caitlin ran up to Maya. When Caitlin got to her, she realized she didn’t have a phone to take a photo. So Caitlin just gave her a big hug. Maya hugged her back. The moment lasted only about ten seconds but stayed with Caitlin forever.
As Caitlin continued playing basketball, she kept getting better and better. When she was in sixth grade, she started to play on an all-girls team in the All Iowa Attack program, a well-known league. After just one year, she was good enough to compete with fourteen-year-olds while she herself was only twelve. By the time she was fourteen, she was playing against girls who were seventeen.
When Caitlin was in seventh and eighth grade, college coaches around the country were noticing her. They began sending Caitlin recruiting letters, asking her to play for their teams—even though she hadn’t even started high school yet. Caitlin’s parents tried to shield her from all the attention because they didn’t want her to feel pressured at such a young age. They would send Blake ahead to open the mail so Caitlin wouldn’t see all of it.
But the attention would only grow: Caitlin Clark, basketball superstar, was about to enter high school.
Chapter 2
High School Ball
Caitlin’s college decision had to wait. High school basketball had begun, and her hoops game continued to grow.
During her first year at Dowling Catholic, a private school, Caitlin averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.3 steals per game and was named to the Class 5A all-state third team, which meant Caitlin was among the state’s top fifteen players. This was rare for a freshman—most players to receive this honor were seniors.
The summer after her freshman year, something even bigger happened—-the national team called fifteen-year-old Caitlin! USA Basketball invited her to Colorado to try out for the under--sixteen national team that would play a tournament in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Competition was fierce for the...
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