Sports Illustrated has done it again with the release of its annual SI Power List, which is filled with the 50 most influential figures in sports. This list is filled with both college stars and pros alike with some of the most recognizable names in sports.
Iowa only had one person make the list this year, and it is no surprise. Iowa Hawkeye legend and probably now the most famous person to come out of Iowa, Caitlin Clark made the list under the athletes tab.
It has been quite the year for Clark, and she still has history left to make in the current WNBA season.
To start off the year, Clark was entering what would end up being her final season at Iowa after four legendary years with the Hawkeyes. At the time, Clark had her eyes on Kelsey Plum’s women’s all-time scoring record and everyone in the media was ready to see her break it.
Clark broke the record in the Caitlin Clark fashion, hitting a logo three-pointer with some flare. Clark jumped around and showed her excitement, but yet at halftime when asked about the record, Clark played it cool and talked about the team needing to play better defense.
The moment Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA DI women’s basketball all-time scoring record. 👏 @IowaWBB | @bigten pic.twitter.com/f2t7ISYjyA
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 16, 2024
That was just the start for Clark. The Iowa native then went on to break Pete Maravich’s all-time NCAA scoring record, but this one in a different fashion. Clark broke the record on a free throw from a technical foul called just before the half.
CAITLIN CLARK HAS THE ALL-TIME NCAA SCORING RECORD! 🏀🔥🏆🐐pic.twitter.com/3I85ghEwts
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 3, 2024
Clark also led her team to another Big Ten title, a Final Four appearance, and another National Championship appearance. At this point, the only thing Clark didn’t accomplish in her career was raising the National Championship trophy after winning it all.
Shortly after the loss that ended her college career, Clark was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in what was the least shocking pick ever. Just a few weeks after the WNBA Draft, Clark made her WNBA debut.
The Fever started out 1-8 with Clark on the team but was able to pull it together throughout the season, and Clark helped lead the Fever back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. In her young career, Clark has already broken most of the rookie records and is currently leading the odds to win WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Clark has been amazing on the court and off the court, inspiring little girls to play basketball and show others just how good they are. With all her talent, Clark has landed on the Top 50 most influential figures in sports for Sports Illustrated.
