Caitlin Clark Shares Mature Response to Critics Amid Iowa Jersey Retirement

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark discussed how she handles negativity and criticism before her Iowa Hawkeyes jersey retirement ceremony.

Caitlin Clark speaks to the media before the Iowa women’s bakset ball game against USC and her jersey retirement Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark had the eyes of the women's basketball world on her once again on February 2, when she had her No. 22 jersey retired by the Iowa Hawkeyes.

In addition to hearing all of the praise and kind words others heaped on Clark before, during, and after this ceremony (which came after the Hawkeyes upset JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans), Clark also spoke at length not only during her ceremony but also with the media before the game began.

At one point during this media session, Clark was asked how she has managed all the criticism and negative attention that has come her way, given how much her platform has been raised.

"I think it's just life," Clark replied, per an X post from Dallas Jones. "Everybody goes through the same stuff that I’ve gone through, and a lot of people go through a lot worse. And I just try to remind myself every single day how grateful I am to be in the position that I am.

"I try to treat everybody the same way that I would want to be treated, and I think it just speaks to the way I was raised and [the way] my parents raised me," Clark continued.

She later added, "I think having a small circle around me of people that I really trust, and those are the people that you can always count on and lean on has been so important for me over the past year.

"I feel like one of my greatest skills is like I really don’t care. I don’t. I don't care," Clark continued. "I believe in myself, I'm confident in myself, I'm confident in my teammates... and you just rely on those people. Nobody gets to step inside your locker room... everybody thinks they know everything, and have an answer. But that's just not reality.”

Long response from Caitlin Clark on how she’s managed the critics and negative attention brought her way in the last 18 months: pic.twitter.com/vkATA7hvTb

— Dallas Jones (@DallasJonesy) February 2, 2025

As per usual, Clark's eloquence and grace in tackling a tough question is almost as impressive as her basketball ability.