How Caitlin Clark proved the doubters wrong in 2024

Former Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides told Bleacher Report that Caitlin Clark’s competitiveness is at the same level of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Stephen Curry. Clark doesn’t need any added motivation to be the best, but naysayers and doubters only add fuel to her already sky-high ambition. She quieted critics in a major way in 2024. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

By almost any measure, Caitlin Clark had one of the greatest college basketball careers of anyone in history. She also might have had one of the most legendary college careers in all of sports history. With that said, there were still people who were skeptical that she would have the same level of success at the next level in the WNBA.

Diana Taurasi’s words hold a lot of weight considering that she is one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time. She knew firsthand what it was like to dominate in college before taking her talents to the next level. The Phoenix Mercury legend didn’t think Clark would be able to run circles around her opponents as a professional.

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Taurasi told Medium, “Reality is coming… you look superhuman playing against some 18 year olds but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.”

Before Caitlin Clark got to the WNBA, Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes posted on social media that Clark only ever veers to her left to shoot her iconic deep three pointers. Sports Illustrated the comment, which implied that Clark only did one thing well over and over, and that it wouldn’t unfold the same way in the WNBA.

Sports Illustrated also covered the comments made by New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart, who said that Clark couldn’t be the greatest college basketball player of all time because she never won a national title.

Former NBA point guard and analyst Mark Jackson had some critical comments about the way the Clark hype was being covered. He said on his podcast in April “South Carolina is a story. I don’t need your cameras panning to Caitlin Clark. And this is not Caitlin Clark hate. This is just the way you do TV. The story is South Carolina, Dawn Staley, and that undefeated basketball team that just made history.”

Former WNBA All-Star Elena Delle Donne also wondered whether Clark could handle the pressure off the floor. Delle Donne told ESPN, “It’s not just basketball, it’s life. She’s going to be pulled in so many directions, asked to do so much media, to do meet and greets at all the away games.” Delle Donne said that during her rookie year in the WNBA, she told her agent to reduce the number of these obligations.

Whether naysayers doubted her ability to maintain her level of play on the floor, or handle the wave of pressure that was mounting for her, Clark has exceeded all expectations. She was named WNBA Rookie of the Year, and Time Magazine named her their Athlete of the Year for 2024, which is one of the greatest honors in sports.

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Caitlin Clark did need some time to get used to the WNBA game, but it felt like the adjustment period was over before it ever truly began. Defenders would test Clark by playing physically against her, and that was a theme that continued throughout the year. However, Clark would become accustomed to what was being thrown her way as the season went on.

If Clark wanted to, she could shoot every single trip down the floor and average 30 points a game. People who expect the world from her want to see her put up gaudy point totals. However, Clark isn’t just about scoring. She gets her teammates involved as defensive attention shades in her direction. Former WNBA All-Star Tamika Catchings told Sports Illustrated that Clark was already the “best passer in the league.”

In order for defenses to play the Fever a little more honestly, Clark knows that she’s going to have to trust her teammates to make plays when they’re open. Clark continued to prove doubters wrong by making the right play time and time again, even setting a WNBA record for assists in a single season.

The Indiana Fever got off to a rough start to the season, which would have been a perfect time for them and Clark to fold and pack it in. They didn’t do that; Clark and the team bonded together to get the ship righted. Thanks to their resilience, Clark and the Fever made the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

To be fair, Elena Delle Donne wasn’t necessarily hating on Clark before the season; she was pointing out the cruel reality of what it meant to be the savior of a sport heading into their first professional season. With that said, Clark handled the deluge of access with grace, which is a testament to her mindset.

Clark knows that there will always be people who don’t believe in her. She told ESPN in April, “If you’re on the highest stage there’s always going to be people that are critiquing you, there’s always going to be people that are complimenting you. I think that just speaks to how I was raised. I’ve never been one to weigh the opinions of haters too much.”

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“I think the biggest thing for myself is just having confidence in who I am and what I’ve been able to do with my career. By no means do I think I’m going to go in there and score 30 points per game, but I think I’m confident in my ability and that’s what I’m excited for.”