Background and career
Caitlin Elizabeth Clark (born January 22, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Regarded as one of the greatest female collegiate players, Clark was twice named national college basketball player of the year and became the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer while playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Known for her shooting range and play, she has helped popularize women's basketball, a phenomenon dubbed the "Caitlin Clark effect". She is a three-time WNBA All-Star and two-time All-WNBA selection.
Clark attended Dowling Catholic High School in her hometown of West Des Moines, Iowa, where she was named a McDonald's All-American and rated the fourth-best player in her class by ESPN. In her freshman season with Iowa, she led the NCAA Division I in scoring and earned All-American honors. As a sophomore, Clark became the first women's player to lead Division I in points and assists in a single season. In her junior season, she was the national player of the year and led Iowa to its first national championship game, again leading Division I in assists and setting Big Ten single-season marks in points and assists. As a senior, she repeated as national player of the year and helped Iowa return to the national title game. She also set Division I women's career and single-season records in points and three-pointers, broke the conference record in assists, and led the nation in points and assists.
Selected first overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft, Clark quickly emerged as a premier guard in the league, earning WNBA Rookie of the Year and All-WNBA First Team honors in her first season. She also set league single-season and single-game records in assists, broke the rookie scoring record, and became the first rookie to achieve a triple-double. In 2026, Clark set the Fever franchise single-game scoring record with 45 points.
Clark is a member of the United States women's national basketball team, winning the gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. She also won three gold medals at the youth international level, including two at the FIBA Under-19 Women's World Cup, where she was named Most Valuable Player in 2021.
Caitlin Elizabeth Clark was born on January 22, 2002, in Des Moines, Iowa. Her father, Brent Clark, is a sales executive at Concentric International, and played basketball and baseball at Simpson College. Caitlin's mother, Anne Nizzi-Clark, who is of part Italian descent, is a former marketing executive; Anne's father was the football coach and a school administrator at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, where Caitlin grew up.
How Caitlin Clark makes money
After she was drafted in April 2024, The Wall Street Journal and The Athletic reported a pending eight-year, $28-million contract between Clark and Nike, which would include a signature shoe deal and would be the largest sponsorship deal ever for a women's basketball player.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
