Billie Jean King sends warm wishes to Caitlin Clark on 23rd birthday

American tennis legend Billie Jean King shared warm wishes for Caitlin Clark as the Indian Fever guard celebrated her 23rd birthday. Clark was named WNBA Rookie of The Year in 2024 following a record-breaking season.

King, who has been a big supporter of Clark since the basketball player's iconic collegiate career with Iowa Hawkeyes, took to X on Wednesday to wish the point guard on her 23rd birthday. The 12-time Grand Slam champion shared an adorable picture of the two and wrote:

"Wishing a very happy birthday to @CaitlinClark22!"

Clark, an Iowa native, is celebrating her birthday by giving back to the community. The 23-year-old will donate 22,000 new children's books to kids in Iowa and Indiana through a partnership with Scholastic and her Caitlin Clark Foundation.

"I remember picking out the books from the Scholastic flyer and how empowering that was for me as a child, and how motivated I was to read. I want to help kids have the same experience, to develop their reading skills and open their imaginations to dream big," she said in a statement.

Earlier last year on her 22nd birthday, Clark gifted new Nike shoes to her teammates at Iowa Hawkeyes, which will now retire her jersey number '22' on February 2. Billie Jean King commended the Fever guard on her achievement, writing:

“Congratulations, @CaitlinClark22!”

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"Caitlin Clark is the reason for so much of this interest" - Billie Jean King on increased WNBA viewership

2023 Women's Sports Foundation Athlete Leadership Connection - Billie Jean King speaks (Source: Getty)

Speaking in an interview with USA Today in 2024, Billie Jean King credited Caitlin Clark for increasing the viewership of women's volleyball in recent years. While the former World No. 1 appreciated the role of senior WNBA players Maya Moore, Sheryl Swoopes and Candace Parker among others, she hailed Clark's entry as the turning point for WNBA.

"As great as the WNBA has been, with amazing stars like Maya Moore, Sheryl Swoopes, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, among others, this year is a turning point, and it’s because of Caitlin.

"Whether you like it or not, Caitlin is the reason for so much of this interest. She’s a superstar. When she does well, everyone does better. The league is going to do better. The veterans were the building blocks and now Caitlin and this rookie class have this incredible platform to take the league to an entirely new place," Billie Jean King said.

Following Clark's debut last year, the WNBA witnessed a nearly 200% increase in viewership while Indiana Fever's attendance is reported to have increased by a massive 320% during her first season. As per Ryan Brewer, an associated professor of finance at Indiana University Columbus, the 23-year-old accounted for the league's 26.5% economic activity.