How Caitlin Clark Reacted to Being Named the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year

Caitlin Clark wasn’t alone when she found out that she’s the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

On Thursday, October 3, the league announced that it had crowned the Indiana Fever phenom, 22, with the highest honor for a newcomer. After the news broke, the Fever posted a video via X showing the moment days earlier when Clark first heard about her achievement.

The clip shows the point guard at practice ahead of the team’s September 25 game against the Connecticut Sun. (The Sun defeated the Fever, 87-81, booting the latter out of the playoffs.) While Clark stood on the court with her teammates, league commissioner Cathy Engelbert personally called them to relay the good news in advance.

“Caitlin, it feels like just yesterday that I called your name to the stage as the number one pick in this year’s draft,” Engelbert told Clark. “You held the Indiana Fever jersey for the first time, and what a record-breaking season for you and the entire team full of outstanding performances — and I know all of you had hard work and dedication, and it’s paid off with your playoffs, etcetera.”

While listening to Englebert’s preamble, Clark smiled and seemed a bit nervous. Her face was filled with restrained emotion. 

“I know the best is yet to come,” Engelbert continued. “So, congratulations, Caitlin. You are the 2024 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year!”

Clark then pumped her fist in the air with pride as her fellow athletes crowded around her and cheered, jumping up and down.

Clark’s boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, an assistant men’s basketball coach at Butler University, reposted the WNBA’s announcement of her “Rookie” title to his Instagram Stories on Thursday.

Earlier this month, McCaffery, 26, had the perfect response to his girlfriend being named the Associated Press WNBA Rookie of the Year. “Duh,” he wrote in his Stories.

“Caitlin is special. Everybody knows that. She’s been special,” Fever coach Christie Sides told the IndyStar of Clark in a postgame interview on September 22. “She came into the best league in the world. She found her footing. She’s continued to get better. She’s put herself in a position to be one of the best players in this league. She’s one of the reasons we’re here today.”

Though Clark did not take the Fever to the WNBA Finals, she broke records during her debut as a basketball pro. She broke the rookie record for most points scored in a season as well as a single-season assist benchmark.

“I’m a tough grader. I feel like I had a solid year,” Clark said last week, per the AP. “For me, the fun part is like I feel like I’m just scratching the surface and I’m the one that’s nitpicking every single thing I do. I know I want to help this franchise. … I know there’s a lot of room for me to continue to improve so that’s what excites me the most. I feel like I continue to get a lot better.”