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Caitlin Clark Enjoys Broadcasting Opportunities, But Wants to Focus on Winning a Title

Her focus never waivers from wanting to win a championship for the Fever.
Caitlin Clark’s focus never waivers from wanting to win a championship.
Caitlin Clark’s focus never waivers from wanting to win a championship. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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Caitlin Clark is one of WNBA’s biggest stars on and off the court, and this stardom continues to grow year after year.

Even though Clark’s sophomore season with the Fever was cut short as she dealt with various injuries, she found other opportunities to in the basketball world. For instance, she landed a role with NBC’s NBA broadcast team earlier this year and made her analyzing debut.

While Clark is grateful for opportunities like this broadcasting one, she is well aware that experiences like these don’t happen unless she performs well on the court and delivers on her promises. Clark’s main goal every year in the WNBA is to win a championship, or even make the Fever championship contenders. Indiana has made the playoffs in both of Clark’s two seasons, but hasn’t reached the end of the road.

Clark spoke withYahoo! Sports’ Shlomo Sprung this week and opened up about her off-the-court enterprises, but how they don’t compare to finding success on the basketball court.

“If I don't play basketball well, then none of this is going to come along with it. And that's what the fans love to watch,” Clark said. “They love turning on the TV and watching us play the game. I think that's why the WNBA has grown so much. It is because people realize how good our craft is, how good the game is. That's why tickets are hard to get these days. People want to get in the stands, and when they do, they keep coming back for more. So if you don't take care of the main thing first, you're not going to have the rest of the opportunities.”

Essentially, Clark believes that she needs to have success on the court in order for these incredible brand deals and partnerships to come to fruition. The 2024 Rookie of the Year wants to grow both on and off the court.

“One of the most important things somebody ever said to me is you’ve reached this point, but as you continue to grow, the thing you have to do is be able to win,” Clark said. “I feel like that's the point I'm kind of at now. You have to be able to win. That's my main focus, winning and winning a championship. Everything else will come along with that.

“... Your brand will continue to grow. You’ll have other opportunities. But I need to take care of things on the court first. And winning a championship is my main goal right now.”

Hopefully fans will get to see Clark on the court more this season after she only played in 13 games last year. Having a full healthy season would definitely be advantageous for the Fever and for Clark to fulfill her dream of winning a title for Indiana.

While you may continue seeing Clark in commercials, in photo advertisements or on the basketball court commentating on the sidelines, just know that in her mind, she’s still thinking about how to reach the WNBA finals. This is how a true champion operates.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University.