Caitlin Clark delivers a “Rookie Move” in her hilarious new State Farm commercial.
Former Iowa women’s basketball legend and current Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark premiered in State Farm’s newest TV spot on Wednesday, Nov. 20, in what is titled “Rookie Move.”
State Farm, known for its unique cameos of musicians, athletes, coaches and celebrities, places Clark as their most recent star following her WNBA Rookie of the Year award-winning season.
The commercial starts with a cameo of sports commentator Cassidy Hubbarth, displeased with her son’s decision to back a car out of a closed garage door.
Once Hubbarth refers to the mistake as a “rookie move,” Clark appears in her Indiana Fever uniform practicing her golf swing next to the damaged garage door.
The commercial continues with Clark propping open a lawn chair in a swift one-handed motion while talking about her share of rookie mistakes.
This minor motion from Clark is a unique reference to actor Jason Momoa’s 2012 scene from the TV show “The Game,” which has become popularized within social media culture over the years.
The advertisement ends when Clark summons Jake from State Farm, who reminds everyone that they’ll be covered by the company no matter how long they’ve been “in the game.”
The reference of “game” makes Clark disappear after being reminded that she is supposed to be playing for the Fever at that moment, which is itself a rookie move.
The inclusion of Clark is the latest collaboration between her and State Farm, who has been a proud supporter of Clark from her time with the Hawkeyes to her rookie season in the WNBA and beyond.
Clark, who averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 41.7% from the field and 34.4% from three-point territory in the regular season last year, will look to improve on those impressive numbers when the WNBA season starts up again in May 2025.
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Unrivaled revealed its rosters on Wednesday. Thirty-four players were announced for the league’s six teams with a pair of wild-card spots still available.
Started by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, the league will tip off on Jan. 17 and run for eight weeks with a championship set for mid-March.
Unrivaled reached a multiyear deal with TNT Sports in mid-October to televise its games on TNT and truTV and to stream them on Max.
Clark just completed her first season in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever. She was named Rookie of the Year.
The No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, Clark averaged 19.2 points, a WNBA-best 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 35.4 minutes per game.
Along with leading the league in assists, Clark was first in 3-pointers (122) and second in minutes per game and free-throw percentage (90.6). She was seventh overall in scoring.
Her 337 assists set a WNBA single-season record, and she had a single-game record of 19 assists against the Dallas Wings in July. She also set a rookie season mark with 769 points and became the first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double. Clark tallied a pair of triple-doubles in her rookie season.
With Clark, Indiana made a return to the WNBA playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season and finished 20-20.
“The fun part is I feel like I’m just scratching the surface. I know I want to help this franchise get even better, help my teammates get even better, be better for my teammates. I know there’s a lot of room for me to continue to improve, so that’s what excites me the most,” Clark said after being named Rookie of the Year.
The Fever fired former coach Christie Sides after the season. Indiana then hired former Fever and Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White.
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The women’s 3-on-3 basketball league will reportedly have to go forward without Clark, as ESPN’s Michael Voepel shared on Wednesday that she won’t be joining Unrivaled this time around.
While the league still has two spots open, Clark will reportedly not fill one of those vacancies. It’s not for a lack of trying, as Unrivaled reportedly made Clark a substantial offer to join and added some of her teammates and friends as participants.
Unrivaled will now kick off on Jan. 17 in Miami without Clark in tow.
Our Meghan L. Hall wrote last month about why Clark was probably not joining the league for its first season if you’re curious for possible reasoning as to why this reportedly didn’t happen. Oh well.
Clark and Jake from State Farm appeared in this new advertisement, one with the former in her Fever jersey trying to help a couple with a garage crisis.
However, “rookie moves” don’t just qualify for the poor guy who rammed his car into the garage door. You’ll see what we mean once you watch the ad.
Clark’s State Farm commercial from her Iowa days was very funny, and this one is about as good. We bet we’ll get more of these in the years to come.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Caitlin Clark has never been shy about taking the next shot, even if she’s already missed a few. The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year is known for getting hot and staying so on the basketball court, and something similar could be said for her appearance at Wednesday’s RSM Classic pro-am at Sea Island Golf Club.
Clark, who was paired with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and 2023 Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, pulled her opening drive left into the water. It took her all of 10 seconds to re-tee and drop another shot near the green on a short par 4. And while she struggled a little to get rolling, once the Iowan got loose she was consistently long off the tee, to the point where Johnson and Monahan marveled at her talent.
On one three-hole stretch, she bombed huge drives that, from her forward tees, put her in front of most of the group she was playing with.
Johnson, who has a dozen PGA Tour victories under his belt, played with Clark at the 2023 John Deere Classic and has noticed an improvement in the former University of Iowa star’s golf game.
“She’s a competitor before she is anything else. I witnessed it a year-and-a-half ago when we played but I’ve also witnessed that she’s gotten better. She’s working on her game,” Johnson said. “It’s a hard game, and it’s not her number one priority, obviously, nor should it be. But she’s amazing. She’s amazing on the court and off.”
While Johnson came away again impressed with her golf swing, he was even more inspired by the way the 22-year-old conducts herself. As she has at previous stops, like last week’s LPGA event where she played with Nelly Korda and host Annika Sorenstam, Clark took time to sign autographs and snap pics with nearly every fan who asked, including Johnson’s daughter Abby Jane.
“She has raised the bar. She’s pushed the ceiling. She’s done so much for sports, specifically women’s basketball, that I think we’re just starting to see the tip of it right now. I think there’s more to come,” Johnson said. “Your talent is given but she’ll continue to improve because she works hard.
“You’re seeing a woman, an athlete, who does everything right off the court. And so she’s a role model, an icon, and that is a rare breed.”
PGA Tour commissioner says Clark is ‘awesome to watch’
Monahan had never met Clark until Wednesday, but he was dazzled by her golf swing, especially when she made contact with the driver. On the par-5 14th hole, Clark hit a tee shot 270 yards down the left side of the fairway, leaving a hybrid in from 170 yards. She then hit what Monahan described as “the perfect buttercut” that rolled onto the back of the green. Although she three-putted, she still had the gallery in awe.
“It is incredible. It was awesome to watch,” Monahan said. “What really struck me was her love of the game. Clearly, her competitive spirit and fire come through. And her ability comes through loud and clear on some of those tee shots. You know, she’s been playing seriously for a year and a half. I’ve never seen someone in a year and a half strike the ball like that. And she’s gonna be playing this game for a long time.
“She’s transcendent. And it’s very clear. Her humility is her superpower and, yeah, it’s pretty cool to see her interact with all these young boys and girls and she’s done a lot for this game, in a short period of time.”
As for Clark, she said after playing pro-ams on both the men’s and women’s tours that she enjoyed both experiences.
“They’re both unique, but they’re all fun. I kind of know Zach a little bit better, but it’s always fun to meet new people and get to see them up close,” she said. “It makes it personal. I mean you support these people on TV and you come and watch them up close and see how good they are at their game. It’s special.”
And as for her own game?
“I just like having fun. Obviously, there were too many people here today. I hit some nice shots today, though,” Clark said. “It’s nice, I get to tee it up a little further so it helps me out.”
The RSM Classic is the PGA Tour’s final official stop of 2024, the last chance for players to earn their way into the top 125 of the FedEx Cup standings and secure a card for 2025. However, before first-round action gets underway Thursday, a star-studded pro-am was on the docket Wednesday.
The PGA Tour’s final full-field event of 2024 takes place this week on the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside and Plantation courses, and once again, WNBA star Caitlin Clark is stealing the show at the pro-am.
Clark, who competed last week in the pro-am at The Annika driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, teed off on Wednesday alongside 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson, and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was in the fivesome.
Clark is using a Callaway Paradym X driver with 10.5 degrees of loft, along with a 15-degree Paradym X fairway wood and Paradym X 3- and 4-hybrids. Those clubs are all designed to help get the ball up easily and maximize forgiveness, which the Indiana Fever star clearly needs. She almost hit the spectators last week on the first tee.
Clark has been playing Callaway Paradym X irons (5-AW), along with 54- and 58-degree Callaway JAWS Raw wedges in her bag. However, Wednesday morning she also had 50- and 60-degree Callaway Opus wedges in her bag, finished in Iowa Hawkeye black and yellow.
Clark’s putter is an Odyssey Ai-One Double Wide, a heel-toe weighted blade with an extended back flange.
“It’s great to have her here,” Jay Monahan said on the 13th green.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Last week it was the LPGA pro-am. This week, WNBA superstar and golf nerd Caitlin Clark was the headliner at the PGA Tour’s pro-am ahead of the RSM Classic.
The 2024 season finale at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside and Plantation courses starts Thursday but Wednesday morning, Clark, dressed in all black, participated in the fun.
Clark was in Zach Johnson’s group on the Plantation Course. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was in the fivesome as well.
The RSM Classic pro-am also featured Tom Brady, playing in a group with defending champions Ludvig Aberg.
Monahan said it was his first time Clark, and he expects only bigger things in the future.
“It’s great to have her here,” Monahan said on the 13th green. “Think about it, she’s playing like for a year and a half. What did she hit that last drive, 260?”
Clark pulled her first drive of the day left into the water, but she got rolling soon after that, hitting some booming drives.
As recently as this week, fans speculated that Caitlin might join the new basketball league after the organization’s social media account dropped a seemingly unsuspecting hint ahead of its roster reveal. The reveal was scheduled to run from 11:00 a.m. to 11:22 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, sending fans into a frenzy. Of course, the chatter immediately started about Caitlin hopping into the fold.
But it looks like fans will have to wait to see the star. Unrivaled revealed its six-team roster, and there is no number 22 — for now. The new league shared that only 34 players will participate when the action starts in January, and the final two roster spots are open for future players to join.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for reading today. We appreciate your time. Hope you’re having an awesome Wednesday.
Wednesday marks the roster reveal day for Unrivaled — the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league set to take the sports world by storm this winter.
Nearly all the roster slots have been filled at this point. There’s still just one left open with the league announcing its teams today. There’s no doubt who that spot is reserved for.
For the first time, though, it actually seems like they might get her. Clark might actually be Unrivaled, as they say.
The roster announcements start at 11:00 a.m. ET and end at 11:22. Hmmm. Quite a curious time to end, right? Not 11:30. Not 11:15. 11:22. Twenty-two. Hmmm. WAIT. BY GOLLY. THAT’S CAITLIN CLARK’S MUSIC.
That seems to be a pretty strong indicator that Clark is joining the league this winter. It’s hard to believe they’d choose such a specific time without it meaning anything. It’s a solid assumption that there’s a Clark announcement somewhere in there.
But wouldn’t it be hilarious if there isn’t?
Imagine this. Everyone is hyped at 11:21 and Unrivaled is about to unveil the final player. There’s a 22 jersey on the screen. A shadowy figure begins to come into the frame. It’s … all of a sudden … IT’S MYISHA HINES-ALLEN.
Definitely not the No. 22 you’re expecting, but maybe the No. 22 we needed. Shoutout to Myisha, by the way.
In all seriousness, it’s likely Clark. Even though she has plenty of reasons not to play this winter, this build-up and suspense wouldn’t make sense for anyone else. It’s hard to imagine this being anyone but her.
Regardless of whether it is or not, let’s hope for a fun Unrivaled inaugural season. This could be huge for women’s basketball.
Aaron Rodgers is the problem
Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Robert Saleh. Joe Douglas. Everyone who vouched for Aaron Rodgers during his time in New York seems to be falling by the wayside.
“At 3-8, Douglas going down with the ship now feels very different. This is the Jets cutting everyone who bought Rodgers’ brazen snake oil loose without a second thought. It’s ownership making a tacit acknowledgment that acquiring a (then) semi-washed diva like Rodgers for multiple high-end draft picks was a mistake which wasted everyone’s time with the organization.
How do I know this for certain?
Well, dearest readers, that’s because Rodgers — a year after tearing his Achilles, mind you — is having the worst statistical season of his career.
Rodgers hasn’t thrown for 300 yards in a game all season. (The last time he threw for 300 yards in a game was in December 2021.) He’s also averaging his lowest yards per attempt and has his lowest passer rating since his two initial non-starter seasons in Green Bay in … 2005 and 2006. This is beyond a quarterback struggling. This is a player who is a hollow husk of the all-world talent he once was, now at the helm of the NFL’s 17th-ranked offense on an expected points added (EPA) per play basis. Any time you might think the Jets have a modicum of hope, at this point, Rodgers throws it away himself.”
It’s a tough day to be an Aaron Rodgers fan. His days as a Jet seem numbered.
The triple-double king
Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Russell Westbrook snatched his 200th triple-double on Tuesday in a Nuggets’ win over the Grizzlies.
It wasn’t quite vintage Westbrook. It wasn’t as loud as it used to be. But, with 12 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, it was a triple-double nonetheless. And he’s now the only player in the NBA’s history to have 200 triple-doubles. The next closest player is Oscar Robertson, with 181. The next closest active player is his teammate, Nikola Jokic, with 136.
He did the Wilt Chamberlain thing after the fact. And, yeah, he totally deserved to do the Wilt thing here.
