Caitlin Clark says she’s ‘confident’ going into WNBA future: ‘I’ve earned to be in this moment’

Clark also opened up about pressure and how it’s expected if you want to be “one of the best players in the world.”

Caitlin Clark talks WNBA draft, ‘SNL’ debut, Olympic dream

Caitlin Clark knows expectations are high for her much-anticipated WNBA debut later this year, and she welcomes the pressure.

In an interview that aired on TODAY April 15, the Iowa Hawkeyes star sat down with NBC correspondent Stephanie Gosk to reflect on the upcoming WNBA draft, which kicks off 7:30 p.m. ET in New York on April 15, and how she feels about the spotlight being on her.

Clark said that feeling of pressure is familiar. “I think when you want to be one of the best players in the world, that just kind of comes with it,” she told Gosk.

Clark is predicted to be the No. 1 pick at the draft and go to the Indiana Fever. She said while she doesn’t know the exact number, she’s heard season tickets are already “selling pretty well” in Indianapolis.

Clark said joining the WNBA will “probably be a little bit of a learning curve” but will provide a “good challenge,” and she intends to lean on the confidence she said she’s always had.

“Being confident in all the work I’ve put in, in the moments, and knowing that I’ve earned to be in this moment — that’s always kind of what I remind myself, you know, you’re not here by accident,” she said.

She revealed that self-assurance is also what goes through her mind before she takes her long three-point shots.

“I think sometimes, I feel like I’m closer to the basket than I really am,” she said.

“But also, those are shots I practice and work on every single day,” she added. “It’s not like I just take the court for a game and just start launching those. It’s what I work on in the gym every single day with our coaches.”

Clark, who became the leading all-time NCAA Division I basketball scorer, male or female, in March, has been credited with bringing new attention to women’s basketball. The women’s championship game between Iowa and South Carolina had more than 18.9 million viewers April 7, according to ESPN. The men’s matchup April 8 between Connecticut and Purdue drew 14.8 million in comparison, per Nielsen.

Similarly, the WNBA draft, which didn’t sell tickets for fans to attend in the past few years, sold out in 15 minutes this year.

Clark’s response to the spike in fandom around the sport? “You’re late to the party.”

Clark said she grew up engrossed in women’s basketball, whether it was watching televised games or cheering on older cousins who played in Division I.

“This is something I wrote down on a piece of paper when I was in second grade,” she said. “Like, get a basketball scholarship, play in the WNBA — this is always something I wanted to do.”

She pointed out that women’s basketball has always been “really good,” citing the “amazing players” who came before her. But the opportunities provided by playing on national television, social media and the ability to be compensated for name, image and likeness, or NIL, have pushed the sport forward, she added.