Mia Hamm Makes Her Opinion of Caitlin Clark Extremely Clear
There are few women's athletes who are more iconic than Mia Hamm. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, and arguably the most legendary women's soccer player in the sport's history, at least when it comes to the USA Women's National Team.
What's more, Hamm ranks No. 4 in U.S. team history for international caps (276) and No. 1 for career assists (144), and held the record for the most international goals scored until 2013. But outside of her accolades and statistics, Hamm is known for being an inspiration for multiple generations of female athletes who saw her success on the global stage and dreamt of doing the same. This is Hamm's true legacy.
One of the female athletes Hamm inspired is Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, who has gone on the record saying how much she adored and admired Hamm as a kid, which has continued on through today. Clark (who played soccer through high school and was a forward like Hamm) is on track to her own legendary career, and already serves as an inspiration for young girls today.
Mia Hamm Reacts to Caitlin Clark's Kind Words With Strong Message
Last week, the Yahoo Sports TikTok account posted a video of Mia Hamm reacting to the praise Clark heaped upon her and her Winners Never Quit children's book.
"My favorite book growing up, it was Winners Never Quit. This picture book, and it was about Mia Hamm. And I remember when I would read the book when I went to bed with my parents, that was the one I always wanted to pick," Clark said. "The resiliency she had, that's the whole story of the book. And what USA women's soccer did for not only female athletes, but women in general. And how much they brought people together.
"That's just been [Hamm's] ability, just really to inspire people and to give back. And I don't think I would be here if it wasn't for them," Clark added.
The camera then cut to Hamm, who said, "First and foremost, you just see how sports kind of connects everyone. I'm very honored and humbled, because I'm a huge fan of [Clark's]. Just to see what she has been able to do in such a short amount of time, with the attention and the high level of expectations. But she has created that for herself.
"I feel very honored, and excited to see her continue to grow as an athlete," she concluded.
Mia Hamm reacts to Caitlin calling her an inspiration
— correlation (@nosyone4) December 1, 2025
“I’m very honored and humbled bc I’m a huge fan of hers. Just to see what she’s been able to do in such a short amount of time with the attention and the high level of expectations, but she’s created that for herself.” pic.twitter.com/761x86CvG2
Perhaps Hamm will appear at an Indiana Fever game in 2026.
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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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