Coco Gauff gives 1-word reaction to $5,000,000-worth Caitlin Clark's jersey retiring ceremony at Hawkeye vs USC

Coco Gauff has shared her reaction to Caitlin Clark attending her Iowa jersey retirement ceremony during the Hawkeyes' highly anticipated matchup against USC. Gauff and Clark share a strong relationship, frequently expressing admiration for each other.

Clark had her iconic No. 22 jersey retired on February 2, following the Hawkeyes' 76–69 upset victory over the No. 4 USC at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. She was in attendance for the ceremony, becoming only the third player in program history to receive the honor, joining Megan Gustafson (No. 10) and Michelle Edwards (No. 30).

Following the ceremony, the 23-year-old, who is estimated to be worth $5 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, penned an emotional message on Instagram, writing:

"Such a special day, surrounded by all my favorite people. Feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the love and support from everyone—thank you Hawkeye Nation."

Coco Gauff has now commented under Caitlin Clark’s post, simply using one word to express her feelings:

"Incredible," accompanied by a heart emoji.

Coco Gauff's comment on Caitlin Clark's Instagram post

Coco Gauff: "I would love to play on the same time as Caitlin Clark"

Coco Gauff pictured at the 2025 Australian Open | Image Source: Getty

During the 2024 Stuttgart Open, Coco Gauff expressed her admiration for basketball, especially Caitlin Clark. She revealed she once considered basketball before choosing tennis, and her father, Corey, even believed she had WNBA potential.

"Yeah, it's funny because my dad was actually talking about that," Gauff said. "He was, like, 'You would have been right up there. You would have been a sophomore. I would have had you shooting Js and everything.'"

The American added that she would love to play on the same team as Clark in another life—just to see if she could guard her.

"I don't know if I would be that type of player, but I will say if I could go in another life I would love to play on the same time as Caitlin Clark just to see if I could guard her. Obviously, now I definitely couldn't, but I don't know, if I trained for it, just to see," Coco Gauff said.

During her Iowa career (2020–2024), Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history with 3,951 points. A two-time National Player of the Year, she also led Iowa to back-to-back national championship game appearances in 2023 and 2024.

She was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft. er exceptional rookie season, she averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game.

Her outstanding performance earned her the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and a spot on the All-WNBA First Team, making her the first rookie since Candace Parker in 2008 to receive this honor.