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Caitlin Clark didn’t need to meet an WNBA star to become one, but as a 12-year-old girl, her first time meeting Hall of Famer Maya Moore changed her life.
“Ten seconds can go a long way in somebody’s life,” Clark said via USA TODAY’s Lindsay Schnell. “That’s a good lesson whether you play sports or don’t play sports, how you treat somebody matters.”
Clark, the No. 1 pick by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft, experienced that 10-second moment when she attended a Minnesota Lynx game with her father, Brent, in 2014. Afterward, Clark went on the court and gave Moore a hug, and the former Iowa superstar and Fever rookie takes that moment with her to this day.
“I just try to take as much time as I can for those young girls because Maya was so nice to me when I ran up to her, and that’s something that’s stuck with me all the way until I’m 22 years old,” Clark said.
Moore has something similar to Clark’s status in 2014 — albeit on a smaller scale. The former Connecticut superstar helped the Lynx win four titles in the 2010s, and she won an MVP and seven All-WNBA honors along the way.
“I wanted to be just like her,” Clark said.
A Des Moines, Iowa, native, Clark admitted that she rooted for the Lynx growing up during her introductory press conference on April 17. Clark’s appreciation of Moore and the Lynx dynasty is more than that. Clark said Moore and other past WNBA stars built “the platform I can be on now” as Schnell wrote.
A Moment for Caitlin Clark & the WNBA
For the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader, Clark’s moment has arrived with the upcoming WNBA season. She has been practicing with the Fever at training camp with the preseason opener at Dallas around the corner on Friday.
It’s a moment for the WNBA, too, as Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve put it.
“We call it a movement because we’ve already had moments,” Reeve said via Schnell. “Now we’re in a movement, and I think it’s a direct correlation to the WNBA being in existence for 28 years.”
“What you have is young, aspiring players — women, girls — that are playing at a much younger age, honing their skills at a much younger age,” Reeve added. “They’re in their backyard, they’re saying, ‘I wanna play like Breanna Stewart’ or Caitlin Clark wants to play like Maya Moore. Maya Moore wanted to play like Cynthia Cooper.”
Maya Moore: ‘That’s What People Need’
Moore, who met Clark again after an Iowa game in March, sees an inspiring figure who touches lives. Likewise, Moore was moved by how her 10-second interaction with Clark in 2014 impacted the future basketball superstar’s life.
“It’s super sweet to know that the time you take with the people who love watching you play matters and means something,” Moore said via USA TODAY. “It’s not necessarily about performing a certain way but being as genuine as I can, because that’s what people need … it’s humbling and encouraging to know I had a part in helping Caitlin continue that spirit of being good to people. It’s another reminder that we all have a role to play, and all have the ability to influence someone.”
In addition, Moore sees how Clark’s broader impact could last.
“How can she change the WNBA? There are so many ways to answer that question,” Moore said via USA TODAY. “She is someone, I think, who’s a lot more than stats. She tries to bring that passion and joy to her community. I look forward to seeing how she uses her influence, how she’ll make her community better, her teammates better.”
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