"Cultural lightning rod" - Caitlin Clark hailed by Fox commentator for prioritizing progression

Caitlin Clark is responsible for the biggest migration of fans to the WNBA in league history. In Clark's rookie season, ratings were up 155% from the previous year after she entered the league as the No. 1 pick for the Indiana Fever.

On Sunday's episode of Kennedy Saves the World, Fox commentator Kennedy Montgomery praised Clark for her impact on the WNBA and women's sports as a whole.

"Caitlin Clark will have a long, illustrious, decorated career where she inspires millions and millions of girls and young women to play a sport that she loves. She wants everyone to play well and she wants to inspire young girls and young women to be awesome basketball players. ... She's a cultural lightning rod."

Clark is coming off a historic season, setting records on and off the court en route to winning the 2024 Rookie of the Year.

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Caitlin Clark named 2024 AP Female Athlete of the Year

Caitlin Clark received another trophy to put on her mantle after being named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year on Tuesday. She started her historic year at the University of Iowa, capping off an already legendary career with one of the greatest individual single-season performances in college basketball history.

Clark broke the NCAA Division I all-time scoring record and was named the AP Player of the Year, a first-team All-American, the Wooden Award winner and the Naismith Award winner. After her senior year at Iowa, Clark unsurprisingly went No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

In her first year as a pro, Clark proved her worth, averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds as she won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award. She was also named a first-team All-WNBA member and earned her first All-Star appearance.

After the season, Clark continued to rack up accolades, being named TIME Athlete of the Year earlier this month.