Caitlin Clark named to TIME's 100 most influential people in sports

As Caitlin Clark begins her third WNBA season with the ultimate goal of bringing a championship back to the Indiana Fever this year, the former Hawkeye received yet another prestigious honor on June 8, as Time Magazine named her to its inaugural “100 Most Influential People in Sports 2026” list.

For convenience and organization purposes, Time Magazine split the 100 names listed into four categories: “Icons,” “Titans,” “Innovators,” and “Leaders.”

As for Clark, she was listed in the “Icons” category alongside 25 other global superstar athletes, including fellow WNBA icon A’Ja Wilson.

Below is the excerpt that Time Magazine Senior Correspondent Sean Gregory wrote on Clark:

“When the history of women’s basketball is written, expect a chapter—or two or three— on Caitlin Clark, whose showmanship and three-point exploits, in both college and the WNBA, have brought unprecedented attention to the game. As Clark broke the all-time Division I college scoring record at Iowa a few years back, her games regularly delivered record ratings and fans flocked to her as if she were a pop star. Her celebrity shifted to the pros: during her 2024 rookie season with the Indiana Fever, Clark—who won the league’s Rookie of the Year honors—appeared in the most-watched WNBA games ever on ABC, CBS, ESPN, and ESPN2, and Fever games were moved to NBA and NHL arenas in Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C., to accommodate larger crowds. The question of whether envious rival players were going out of their way to foul her hard on the court—or if rough play is just part of the game—sparked fevered national discourse. In 2025, Clark missed a majority of her sophomore pro season with injuries; in the first game of 2026, she became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 1,000-plus points, 250-plus rebounds, and 250-plus assists. Clark reached these milestones in just 54 career games, while the previous record holder, WNBA all-time leading scorer Diana Taurasi, needed 62.”

“When the history of women’s basketball is written, expect a chapter—or two or three— on Caitlin Clark, whose showmanship and three-point exploits, in both college and the WNBA, have brought unprecedented attention to the game. As Clark broke the all-time Division I college scoring record at Iowa a few years back, her games regularly delivered record ratings and fans flocked to her as if she were a pop star. Her celebrity shifted to the pros: during her 2024 rookie season with the Indiana Fever, Clark—who won the league’s Rookie of the Year honors—appeared in the most-watched WNBA games ever on ABC, CBS, ESPN, and ESPN2, and Fever games were moved to NBA and NHL arenas in Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C., to accommodate larger crowds. The question of whether envious rival players were going out of their way to foul her hard on the court—or if rough play is just part of the game—sparked fevered national discourse. In 2025, Clark missed a majority of her sophomore pro season with injuries; in the first game of 2026, she became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 1,000-plus points, 250-plus rebounds, and 250-plus assists. Clark reached these milestones in just 54 career games, while the previous record holder, WNBA all-time leading scorer Diana Taurasi, needed 62.”

While it is a tremendous honor for Clark to be included in the group of the world’s top athletes, such as LeBron James, Hilary Knight, Shohei Ohtani, and Lionel Messi, the two-time WNBA All-Star has expressed her desire to not only return to her dominant form but also become even better with each day.

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