Two weeks after being named TIME Athlete of the Year, Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark has received another major award. Clark — who broke the NCAA Division I basketball’s all-time scoring record and drove record WNBA viewership and attendance to new heights — was named the AP Female Athlete of the Year on Tuesday morning.
The award is voted on by 74 sports reporters from The Associated Press. Clark received 35 votes, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles received 25, and boxer Imane Khelif received four votes.
Clark is the fourth women’s basketball player to receive the honor, joining Sheryl Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995) and Candace Parker (2008, 2021).
Clark is still in the beginning of her WNBA career, but she’s already set a tremendous list of records as a professional. She was a near-unanimous Rookie of the Year, and was named to the First Team All-WNBA.
Her WNBA records include the most assists in a rookie season, most points in a rookie season, most points by a point guard in WNBA history, WNBA single-season record for assists, WNBA single-game record for assists (19), fastest WNBA player to reach 100 three-pointers, and the list goes on.
Before being picked first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark led the University of Iowa to back-to-back national championship appearances and set numerous collegiate records. She also became the only women’s Division I basketball player in collegiate history to lead the country in both points and assists.
But, above all that she accomplished on the court, Caitlin Clark helped elevate the WNBA to new heights. In 2023, the Fever averaged 4,067 fans per game. The following season, they led the league with over 17,000 fans per game. When the Fever were on the road, teams routinely upgraded to larger arenas to accommodate more fans; the Fever’s regular-season finale in Washington DC broke the WNBA’s attendance record with 20,711 fans. Clark also contributed to unprecedented WNBA television viewership; 19 of her games drew more than one million TV viewers.
In an interview with the AP, Clark expressed her gratitude for the honor.
“I grew up a fan of Candace Parker and the people who came before me and to be honored in this way, is super special and I’m thankful,” she said. “It was a great year for women’s basketball and women’s sports.”
