"Give her the ball" - Caitlin Clark hilariously downplays her effort in touching birthday tribute to Iowa teammate

Caitlin Clark made a special birthday tribute for her Iowa Hawkeyes teammate Jade Gyamfi when she turned 21 on Saturday, March 22. The Indiana Fever star, who played two seasons with Gyamfi in Iowa built a close relationship with the Hawkeyes junior forward player.

Clark made a special post on her Instagram story, posting a collage of two pictures that showed the two former teammates hugging each other. The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year captioned the post with wholesome words for her former college teammate.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY JADES!!!!" Caitlin Clark wrote in big bold pink letters.

"Miss you and your hugs 🖤."

"BIG BDAY BUCKET TODAY!!!! GIVE HER THE BALL!!!!"

However, she also downplayed her efforts in making the birthday post special. Clark also hilariously wrote in the post that it was the best artistic work she could pull off.

"Sorry, this is my best artistic work :) 😂," Clark added in the post.

[Credit: IG/@caitlinclark22]

Gyamfi started her college basketball career with the Hawkeyes in the 2022-23 season when Clark was a junior. So far, she hasn't gotten much playing time on her team and has played all of her games from the bench.

This year, Jade Gyamfi has appeared in nine games, averaging 1.9 points, 0.7, rebounds and 0.1 assists per game in just over four minutes in a game. As a freshman, Gyamfi shot just over 28% from the field and now, she is shooting 75.0%, which could perhaps help her get more minutes.

Caitlin Clark gets record number of nationally televised games, outplaying Lakers and Warriors

The Caitlin Clark effect has reached new heights with the release of the WNBA's 2025 schedule. Last season, Clark was the single most polarizing figure in the popularity factor, and she was able to pull some of the biggest crowds during the season.

This season, the league is ready to reap the most benefits by making her the face of the league. With the introduction of 44 regular-season games for the next season, Clark and the Fever are set to have 41 of their games broadcast on national TV.

What is even more surprising is the fact that Clark and Fever have more nationally televised games than LeBron James' LA Lakers with 39 and Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors with 36.

Although the mathematics of the 41 vs 39 games could be debated, there is no denying that the WNBA is ready to mount on Caitlin Clark's train and make the most of it.

The Fever will open their 2025 season with a game against the Chicago Sky on May 17, which will be aired on ABC.