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WNBA star Caitlin Clark's appearance on the 'New Heights' podcast, hosted by Taylor Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his fellow NFL icon and brother Jason Kelce, has generated buzz in the sporting world. However, an intriguing detail that may have gone unnoticed was the subtle way Clark displayed her interest in tennis.
Following a record-breaking collegiate career with the University of Iowa, Clark transitioned seamlessly into the WNBA, representing the Indiana Fever as the first pick of the 2024 draft. The 22-year-old won the coveted Rookie of the Year award for her exceptional debut season, in which she broke the rookie scoring record. She was also recognized as TIME magazine's Athlete of the Year for her remarkable achievements.
Caitlin Clark has been credited with single-handedly boosting the popularity of the WNBA, as evidenced by the soaring viewership and attendance records at her games. The 22-year-old's popularity also caused her to become the most requested guest on the 'New Heights' podcast, with Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce recently releasing a teaser for their much-awaited episode with the WNBA star.
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An eagle-eyed fan noticed an intriguing tennis detail in Caitlin Clark's highly anticipated appearance on the podcast, spotting that the 22-year-old had displayed Billie Jean King's autobiography 'All In' prominently on the shelf behind her.
Clark's interest in tennis comes as no surprise, since the WNBA star used to be a tennis player herself during her childhood. However, she has disclosed that her participation in the sport was cut short after she "got kicked out of tennis class."
"Caitlin Clark has helped women's sports in a way that nobody has helped women's sports since Billie Jean King" - Former Iowa Hawkeyes coach
The admiration between Caitlin Clark and Billie Jean King is mutual, with the tennis legend lavishing praise on the WNBA star for winning the Rookie of the Year honor after her "historical" season.
"What a first season! Congratulations to @CaitlinClark22, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year. Her historical season includes: 🏀 Single-season assist record 🏀 Single-season rookie scoring record 🏀 First rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double 🏀 First rookie to record 100 threes in a single season," Billie Jean King posted on X.
The duo also had the opportunity to meet and pose for a delightful picture together after King attended Indiana Fever's match against the New York Liberty in May.
Interestingly, former Iowa Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder has even likened Clark's transformative impact on women's sport to Billie Jean King's trailblazing efforts. Bluder made the remarks while defending the 22-year-old against criticism for her TIME Athlete of the Year award.
"It's silly to me that anybody's trying to take away from something that's so good in your sport right now," Bluder told USA Today. "I mean, this is a person that's really helped athletics, helped women's sports in a way that nobody has helped women's sports maybe since Billie Jean King."
Recently, Billie Jean King congratulated Caitlin Clark after the Iowa Hawkeyes announced plans to retire her iconic "22" jersey in recognition of her stellar four-year tenure with the team.
