Caitlin Clark talks life in WNBA, getting recruited in seventh grade, and more with Kelce brothers

Jason and Travis Kelce rang in the new year with the “most-requested guest in the history of” their New Heights podcast: Indiana Fever guard and NCAA all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark.

The Time Magazine Athlete of the Year joined the duo and discussed her recruitment process, her time at Iowa, the road to the WNBA, and more.

Here are some of the main topics Clark and the Kelce brothers covered during Thursday’s episode:

Jason Kelce wasted no time bringing up the role Clark plays in the world of women’s basketball — from her college career to her rookie season with the Indiana Fever.

“I feel like you’re kind of like Wayne Gretzky for basketball right now,” Kelce said.

Clark discussed being the first overall pick in the WNBA draft.

“Everybody gets nervous and jittery no matter where you’re projected or where you’re going to be,” Clark said. “This is a moment you’ve always dreamed of as a little kid.”

» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley, Caitlin Clark lead annual Athlete of the Year list | Marcus Hayes

After leading Iowa to a second straight national championship game, Clark went straight to the draft and was packing up to move in April without finishing her senior year of college.

She recapped what she described as a “life-changing” 2024, as well some of the expectations that followed her into her first WNBA season, which ended with a Rookie of the Year award.

“You come in as a rookie and you’re trying to figure out a new environment, new teammates. You don’t want to say too much, you don’t want to say too little, and it’s just so hard,” Clark said. “You’re already highly thought of. People are turning to you to be something or be someone.”

» READ MORE: Life as a WNBA rookie can be tough — even for Caitlin Clark. Here’s how these Philly-area players adjusted.

Clark didn’t just focus on her 2024 or her college career. She went all the way back to seventh grade, when she got her first recruiting letter, which Clark said is “honestly sad.”

Clark remembered how her brother brought in the mail, and her parents made it a point to avoid her seeing the letter.

“They wanted me to be in seventh grade and enjoy middle school and hang out with friends,” Clark said. “Like, you shouldn’t be worrying about where you’re going to college.”

Clark said once she was finally ready to start thinking about college, following her freshman year of high school, she thought it sounded cool to play for Notre Dame, which she and Jason had in common growing up. But Clark said she knew in her gut it wasn’t the right fit.

“I wanted to go somewhere that was good but maybe hadn’t been a blue blood in quite a few years, kind of help them get back to that,” Clark said. “And [Iowa is] also my home state, too.”

Along with their Midwestern roots and their childhood appreciation for the Fighting Irish, Clark and the Kelces also shared similar views on name, image, and likeness initiatives.

Clark had to learn how to navigate the world of NIL after it was introduced before her sophomore year, which she said “should have been a thing for a really long time” on the endorsement end. But Clark also noted how there are very few guidelines or rules in the world of NIL.

» READ MORE: How Mia Cairone overcame having her verbal scholarship taken away amid House v. NCAA settlement

“It was challenging to navigate, and it still is, seeing these college students that don’t have the right resources around them,” Clark said. “It stinks, and it’s hard.”

Clark noted how it’s helped women’s sports grow, before Travis Kelce asked a hard-hitting question: How are college kids paying their taxes?

“Lucky enough I had great parents and people that help me with that, but these people are getting this money, and little do they know, they’re going to see maybe half of that,” Clark said.