Just days ago, WNBA legend Diana Taurasi was honored by the Mercury at a Ring of Honor ceremony in which Taurasi’s jersey No. 3 was lifted into the stands. The moment immortalized an icon of the game who needed no such fanfare. She had already made her mark on the W in her own special way.
In two decades time, that could very well be Caitlin Clark standing on the court, surrounded by former teammates and coaches and looking up at her No. 22 taking its place in the rafters at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Clark is just 24 years old, less than three full seasons into her WNBA journey. Thinking about the end of her career right now feels foolish considering all she has yet to achieve: a league MVP, a WNBA title, an Olympic gold. (Her critics won’t let her forget she never won an NCAA title, either). When it comes down to the notion of a legacy, Clark shared a simple but powerful statement on how she wants to be remembered:
“A lot of my favorite players growing up, I don’t know how many points they ever ended up scoring, or I don’t know how many three pointers they made. Hopefully, it’s just the impact that you can leave on people and the way you made them feel. And I think that’s kind of been the story of my career,” Clark said before the Fever’s game against the Tempo on Tuesday, via Savanna Hamilton.
“And I hope you know when I’m done playing one day, that’s what people remember the most about me is the way I’ve been able to unite people to cheer on basketball and love a game, or bring people together to you know love a sport in a way that they’ve maybe never have before.
Like there’s so many people that have come up to me and been like, I’ve never watched women’s basket before, and I don’t take offense to that. I think that’s a really cool thing to you know bring people in that have maybe never experienced something that I’ve loved all my life, and so I hope you know when I’m done.
That’s probably the the biggest thing that I’ll probably look back on my career and be proud of is just the amount of people that I’ve been able to bring in and enjoy the game that I’ve always loved since I was a young kid.”
I asked Caitlin Clark what she wants her legacy to be when it’s all said and done.
— Savanna Hamilton (@SavHamilton11) August 18, 2026
Her response:
“A lot of my favorite players growing up, I don’t know how many points they ever ended up scoring, or I don’t know how many three pointers they made. Hopefully, it’s just the impact… pic.twitter.com/43nVZYurG6
What’s in a legacy? Caitlin Clark shares her selfless desire on how she wants to be remembered
Clark grew up idolizing Lynx legend Maya Moore, who won four league titles, one scoring title, an MVP award and a host of other individual accolades that undeniably cement her in WNBA record books as one of the all-time greats. Yet when Clark spoke about Moore at a Fever press conference two years ago, she didn’t mention a single stat or achievement. Instead, she talked about how meeting Moore in person was “one of the most pivotal moments probably in my entire basketball career.”
“She was the person for me, honestly,” Clark said in August 2024, per the IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson. “I remember that Lynx team better than anybody. As a young girl, obviously they were the closest WNBA team to me growing up, so it’s kind of who you root for, but they were also really good, so they were easy to root for.
“I didn’t have a Sharpie, and I was at the age where I didn’t have a phone, so I kind of just ran away from my dad because I wanted to meet the players,” Clark said. “And I just ran up to her and I gave her a hug. There’s no documentation of that moment, but obviously, in my brain, that was one of the most pivotal moments probably in my entire basketball career. Obviously as a young girl, loving sports, that meant the world to me.”
Many years later, Clark is passing it on to the next generation. Despite packing arena after arena in college and the W, and despite soaring to fame as the face of the league and a household name, Clark has never once forgotten how much this game means to young girls and women.
It’s why she always takes 10 to 15 minutes before every Fever game to sign autographs and interact with fans who’ve traveled near and far to see her play. On one road trip to New York last season, the ESPN broadcast team estimated that Clark had signed over 100 autographs before warming up—and that was an away game.
the sweetest pregame surprise for CC from a young fan in Toronto 💐🥹 pic.twitter.com/ZXTdx7XmgD
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) August 18, 2026
Clark and the Fever are currently enjoying a five-game win streak heading into the final stretch of the regular season, with Clark logging career highs in shooting percentages (44.9% from the field, 35.8% from three) while averaging a robust 22.1 points and 8.3 assists per game. Off the court, even though controversy inevitably seems to follow Clark’s team year after year, the powerful impact she continues to make on the next generation of WNBA fans—and even future players—matters that much more.
“These kids or even adults or boys or girls are going to cherish (the memory) for forever,” Clark said in 2024. “And for me to be a small part of that, and just getting to do what I love — that's all I have to do to, you know, maybe change their life or give them a memory that will inspire them for the rest of theirs.”
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