Caitlin Clark's Immediate Reaction to Iowa Jersey Retirement Ceremony

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Owen Crisafulli | Last updated Feb 2, 2025 4:46 PM ET

The Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team had a big day on Sunday. Not only did they pull off a stunning 76-69 upset victory over the No. 4 ranked USC Trojans, but they also officially retired Caitlin Clark's No. 22 jersey, sending it to the rafters at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Clark enjoyed a prolific four-year career with Iowa, and by the time she left, she was averaging the most points of any Division I women's college basketball player of all time with 28.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes unsurprisingly decided to retire her jersey, with Clark opening up on the emotions she was feeling before the ceremony.

"It’s kind of hard to evoke emotion after you just competed for 40 minutes," Clark said on the Hawkeyes 247 Sports podcast when comparing her jersey retirement ceremony to other honors she has received. "But now that I’m not actually going to be playing, I feel like I’ll probably be a little more emotional even though I’m not a super emotional person.”

The star Indiana Fever guard has earned quite a few individual accomplishments in her life, and that continued in the WNBA, where she won Rookie of the Year and was a member of the All-WNBA team in 2024.

Getting a jersey retired is a bit different, though, as Clark returned to her old stomping grounds to be honored by Iowa. While she typically doesn't show much emotion during these sorts of ceremonies, Clark got a bit teary-eyed as her jersey was raised, before embracing her parents and two brothers who were on the court with her.

"There will never be another Caitlin Clark. And there will never be another No. 22!" @CaitlinClark22 an @IowaWBB and women's basketball llegend. pic.twitter.com/Bnx5m3qn6T
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 2, 2025

It was the perfect day for Clark and the Hawkeyes, which was fitting considering how much she did for the school and the women's basketball program during her time in Iowa. And if she can continue to build off her strong rookie campaign with the Fever, she may have another jersey retirement ceremony to attend in the distant future.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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