Caitlin Clark has her No. 22 Jersey retired by Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Indiana’s girlfriend, Caitlin Clark, returned home on Sunday when Iowa retired with her # 22 Jersey in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

This year’s recently crowned WNBA -ROOKIE was honored when just the third Iowa player who got their jersey retired and joined Megan Gustafson (No. 10, withdrew in 2020) and Michelle Edwards (No. 30, pulled Say back in 1990).

“I feel I already have these butterflies in your stomach when you go in here,” Clark said during a pregame press conference. “Not so much for a basketball game now, but obviously just to be around everyone and enjoying this environment. I don’t have to go and compete for 40 minutes, though I might wish I could. I think, It will definitely be a little more emotional that I don’t have to compete.

Clark was at the Center Court with his family when No. 22 went up in the barriers. She smiled during the ceremony.

The Jersey retirement closed a historical career for Clark in Iowa. She became College Basketball’s leading goal scorer while leading Hawkeyes to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA National Championship Game the last two seasons.

A sold -out audience of 14,998 included Lisa Bluder, Clark’s former coach in Iowa, and Stephanie White, Clark’s current coach with Wnbas Indiana fever. The fever plays an exhibition game in Iowa on May 4th.

Former Iowa teammates Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall were on court seats next to former talk show host David Letterman. USC’s coaches and players stayed on the field after the game to witness the ceremony.

“I’m sure it wasn’t cheap to come in,” Clark said during the ceremony.

“The positive image you have brought to this basketball program, this university, this state and women’s basketball nationally, is impossible,” blows said. “I’ve spent my whole career trying to strengthen young women. That’s what it’s all about. But you’ve done more than that in the last four years, more than anyone can imagine.”

Clark reflected before the game on her time with Hawkeyes when she was part of the teams that reached four NCAA tournaments and won the three Big Ten tournament titles.

“The wind came because of the great culture we had,” she said. “And for me I hope this is the thing that always remains intact and I know it will, because of the great coaching staff we have and the type of players they are here. We had players who were selflessly.

Clark knows she’s in a constant media light these days, whether to attend concerts or attend Taylor Swift in a suite in a Kansas City Chiefs NFL Playoff game. She said she understands the criticism that comes with attention.

“I feel like one of my greatest skills is that I really don’t care,” Clark said. “I don’t care – I believe in myself. I’m sure of myself. I’m sure my teammates. I’m trying to instill it into them. I’m sure the coaching staff on the team I was on whether it was here , whether it is with the fever now and you just trust these people.

Clark’s jersey was hung in the bars the same day that South Carolina withdrew a’ja Wilson’s Jersey. They both had 22 in college.

(Related: Caitlin Clark after the numbers: Iowa star leaves lasting influence?

In April 2024, Clark was elected with the first total election in the WNBA draft of the fever. In her rookie campaign, Clark added many accolades to her resume, including becoming the first rookie to dropping a triple double in a WNBA game named the All-Rockie team and led the league in assists.

Clark, 2024 AP Athlete of the Year, is widely regarded as a transformation figure in the women’s strip, which helps increase visibility in both the women’s college basketball and professional spaces.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

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