The popularity of women’s basketball, and women’s sports in general, skyrocketed in 2024, and it is without a doubt that Caitlin Clark can be thanked for that.

Not only was Clark the most popular female athlete over the last 12 months, Time named her their Athlete of the Year, a title held by worldwide stars like Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Simone Biles, Serena Williams and Tiger Woods in recent years.

Clark began the year at the back end of her record-breaking college ball career. As a senior at Iowa, she was several months removed from losing the national championship to Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers, where Reese’s “You Can’t See Me” taunt was the unofficial start of a rivalry both on and off the court (although Clark, herself, will tell you there’s no such thing between them).

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever talks to the media during an introductory press conference on April 17, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

In any case, the gesture prompted plenty of discussion, which turned into further culture wars this summer with Clark as a WNBA player. That, though, did not come before she set the NCAA record (both men and women) for most points scored in a college career and another national championship appearance.

In April, she was the No. 1 overall pick and practically just as she stepped on a WNBA court, the conversation began about whether her popularity was due to her race. In fact, it was a claim that WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson had made, saying Clark being White was a “huge thing” when it came to Clark’s popularity.

Throughout the season, though, Clark was able to block out the noise about what was said about her off the court, even when it looked like she was attacked on the court by her opponents. Hard fouls came amid allegations of racism from both Indiana Fever and Iowa fans, a claim made by the aforementioned Reese.

But Clark had repeated time and time again that she was focused on basketball, and that sure looked to be the case. In her rookie season, she not only broke rookie records, even WNBA records now bare Clark’s name.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts during a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Sun, Sept. 25, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Clark’s appearances in games brought historic viewership to both the college and pro levels. The final three games of her college career were the most-watched women’s college basketball games ever. She also had several of her regular-season games draw more viewers than WNBA playoff games, and her WNBA matchups with Reese were some of the most-viewed WNBA games ever.

WNBA teams even had to move to larger arenas simply because of the ticket demand Clark drew; the Fever sold 90 times more tickets this past year than in 2023.

Clark was named the Rookie of the Year for her historic campaign during which she set the record for the most assists in one season in league history. She carried the Fever to a playoff appearance after a slow start, and she quickly became a double-double machine. She even set a single-game record with 19 assists. She also became the first rookie to record a triple-double, registering two of them.

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever celebrates during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 24, 2024, at Crypto.com Arena in California. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

She received the most votes for the All-Star Game and was just the fifth rookie in league history to make the All-WNBA first-team.

It should go without saying that Clark is well on her way to an illustrious career, and even more impressive is what she did this year with all the outside noise.

From the moment Caitlin Clark’s name became a national staple in college basketball, she was never just playing for points or wins. She was cast into narratives—many unfair, many contradictory—about race, privilege, gender, fandom, and identity. By the time she entered the WNBA, those narratives had already taken on lives of their own. In 2024, Clark didn’t just play a season — she fought through a cultural storm and emerged as one of the defining faces of her sport. Her fightback was messy, contested, polarizing — and in many ways, absolutely legendary.

force.

By the end of 2024, one could argue that the narratives chasing her had become reactive — trying to catch up — rather than predictive. She had pushed the field to recalibrate around her terms.

But the War Isn’t Over

Even with her standout season, Clark’s journey is far from complete. The next phases will likely be even more challenging.

She must guard against overexposure. The same media machinery that elevates her also amplifies every misstep. In a polarized climate, one misquote or tone-deaf moment can spiral.

She must deepen solidarity with black women in the league. Her ability to bridgeness — not just from distance but in authentic relationships — will be crucial. Some of the shadow criticism she faces comes from the sense that her popularity overshadows foundational players; she’ll need to counteract that with tangible allyship.

She must balance commercialization and authenticity. As brands and sponsors clamor, she will be pressured to curate her public persona. She’ll need to stay true to her voice, resist spin, and maintain agency.

She must continue evolving on the court. Critics may eventually turn back to performance. To stay in the conversation, she cannot rest on her rookie laurels. She must widen her game, mature her decision-making, and confront evolving league defenses.

Lastly, she must prepare for inevitable backlash cycles. As her brand grows, so will the stakes: everything she does may be weaponized. She’ll need psychological strength and a support structure.

Final Thoughts: A Legend in Formation

Caitlin Clark’s 2024 season was more than a breakout — it was a crucible. She entered a fraught cultural terrain and emerged not unscathed, but stronger. She forced sports media, fans, sponsors, and league officials to reconsider how much power a young woman in a predominantly Black sport could command.

She didn’t “beat” all critics. She didn’t resolve every tension or answer every accusation. But she survived them. She grew through them. And she turned the noise into an amplifier for her mission: proving that women’s basketball can captivate, that excellence can be disruptive, that identity cannot be reduced to labels, and that the stories we try to project onto athletes can sometimes be outdrawn by their real selves.

If 2024 was her proving ground, then what follows now is the legacy phase. And all eyes will be watching how she carries forward — as both a champion on court and a figure in a culture still struggling to reconcile greatness with identity.

Let me know if you want a version that’s more opinionated, or more centered on particular controversies (e.g. Clark vs Reese) or statistical deep dives.