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Caitlin Clark separates herself on the basketball court for a multitude of reasons, but one of her standout traits is undoubtedly her passing.
Clark has already cemented herself as one of the best passers in the WNBA. As a rookie with the Indiana Fever in 2024, Clark led the league in assists, averaging 8.4 per game, and ranked third in the WNBA in assist percentage (38.3%), only trailing Dyaisha Fair and Alyssa Thomas. Before arriving in the WNBA, Clark led the NCAA in assists in each of her last three seasons at Iowa.
Not only does Clark credit her basketball IQ for her success as a passer, but her previous experience playing soccer.
“I would say it’s my IQ,” Clark told David Letterman of on his Netflix show, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. “I feel like I can kind of see things that are about to happen on basketball court before they happen.”
caitlin on her passing: “i would say it’s my IQ…i give soccer a lot of credit. angles and understanding how to pass to your teammates, how to pass on the move, how to pass where they’re gonna be, not where they are. i think it’s kind of a lost art. plenty in the NBA.” pic.twitter.com/A252Jf0rh4
— cc akgae (@clrkszn) April 8, 2025
“Honestly, I feel it’s kind of a lost art at times,” Clark continued. “Obviously, there’s a lot of great passers still. I give soccer a lot of credit, just angles and understanding how to pass to your teammates, how to pass on the move, how to pass where they’re gonna be, not where they are.”
Clark played soccer growing up and even starred for her high school varsity soccer team for two years before zoning her focus in on basketball for her final two years at Dowling Catholic High School. She made varsity as a freshman, and excelled as she scored 23 goals during her freshman season and was named first-team all-state. Along with basketball and soccer, Clark also played softball, volleyball, golf and tennis during her childhood.
Like many top athletes, Clark exemplifies why it’s so important for kids and athletes to play multiple sports growing up to expand their skillset and range of abilities. Alongside Clark, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, and Lakers forward LeBron James are other tremendous athletes that grew up playing multiple sports before specializing in one sport as a professional.
