Caitlin Clark shares honest feelings on Iowa retiring her jersey, shouts out JuJu Watkins & Lisa Bluder: "Pretty overwhelmed"

WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes jersey went to the rafters of the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Sunday. In her speech, Clark shared her feelings about Iowa retiring her jersey and showed appreciation to everyone in attendance.

"I want to say thank you to everybody that's here today, first of all," Clark said. "It means a lot to me. I know probably wasn't cheap to get in the door. So, I really appreciate you all being here and your support, not only to myself, but this amazing team and today was incredible."

The Hawkeyes took on No. 4 USC and beat them 76-67 before the ceremony. The Indiana Fever star also praised JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans, who stayed on the court to witness Clark's jersey retirement ceremony despite the loss.

"USC, good luck the rest of the way," Clark uttered. "I'm a big fan of all of you. And JuJu (Watkins), you were awesome, and (coach) Lindsay (Gottlieb) you do a great job. It was fun to be here and watch you guys."

Clark thanked her former Iowa teammates, her family, the Fever brass, and her new WNBA coach, Stephanie White, who was present for the ceremony. The 2024 Time Athlete of the Year also mentioned her former coach at Iowa, Lisa Bluder, who was in attendance on Sunday.

"I'm pretty overwhelmed right now; there's a lot of people to thank. ... I'm pretty lucky enough that I got to play here (Iowa) and play for coach (Lisa) Bluder, somebody that believed in me probably more than anybody," she said.

Caitlin Clark spent four years with the Iowa Hawkeyes, during which she helped break viewership and attendance records and was regarded as one of the greatest collegiate players.

Caitlin Clark's coaches have messages for the superstar

WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark's former Hawkeyes coaches were in attendance on Sunday and shared a message with their former star player. Former Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder, who retired in May, and current coach Jan Jensen spoke at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

"She's truly generational," Jensen said. "But the thing that would be the coolest about coaching this young woman is she is the same today as when she came in. She is full confidence. She is full of grace and she has an unbelievable power to make everybody around her better."

Jensen was the associate coach of Bluder from 2000 until taking over the reins in 2024 after Bluder's retirement.

"The positive image that you've brought to this basketball program, this university, this state, women's basketball nationally is unmeasurable," Bluder said. "Through it all, you've stayed true to yourself. You showed why it's wise to invest in women's sport, why it's wise to invest in women."

Caitlin Clark's Iowa jersey retirement adds to the 23-year-old's already long list of accomplishments. Last year, she took the WNBA by storm, and several fans and analysts have attributed the recent popularity of women's basketball to the young superstar.