Caitlin Clark Explains Why She Changed Numbers With Team USA
Indiana Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark has become synonymous with the No. 22.
This started during Clark's iconic college career at the University of Iowa, where she set the NCAA record in career points scored and led the Hawkeyes to two consecutive national championship games while wearing No. 22 on her back.
She then brought that number to the Fever when she was drafted there in 2024, immediately turning the Fever's No. 22 jersey into the most purchased in the entire WNBA. And while fans didn't get to see that jersey on the court as much as they'd have liked in 2025 (because Clark only played in 13 games because of injuries), they did see clips of Clark competing during the Team USA training camp in Durham, North Carolina, earlier this month.
Yet, Clark wasn't wearing her familiar No. 22 there. Instead, she was wearing the No. 17 Team USA jersey, which caught a lot of attention.
Why Caitlin Clark's Team USA Number Isn't 22
Clark was the guest on a December 31 episode of the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce. At one point in the episode, the topic of Clark not wearing No. 22 at the Team USA camp was brought up.
“I didn’t get to pick," Clark said when Travis Kelce asked her where the number 17 came from, per an X post from @nosyone4. "17 is not the best number ever. I wouldn’t have picked that. So the players that have been on the national team prior get to continue wearing their jerseys, like that practice number jersey or their jersey, until they're done playing in the Olympic team, or whatever happens for the next Olympics.
"And then all us newcomers — and there was a lot of young players at that camp — we just get assigned a random number. I guess I got 17. Nobody asked me, it was fine," Clark continued with a smile.
When Jason Kelce asked whether she might get to change out of No. 17 in the future, Clark said, "If I eventually make the team, it's weird. In international basketball, I think it's four through 15. Those are the only numbers... Isn't the weird? Like, you don't get to pick, at least for the United States."
Caitlin on her jersey number for Team USA
— correlation (@nosyone4) December 31, 2025
“I didn’t get to pick…17 is not the best number ever I wouldn’t have picked that but…we just get assigned a random number…if I eventually make the team in international basketball it’s 4-15 those are the only numbers.” pic.twitter.com/RxM3HVQ4gN
Therefore, while Clark may not be wearing No. 17 on Team USA forever, she'll never get to don No. 22 so long as these rules remain in place.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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