For as long as Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been dating, the calls for her to be a guest on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason have been LOUD.
So of course when the Kelce brothers teased in their latest episode about a special guest episode on Jan. 2, fans went into a frenzy.
“We finally got someone the 92-percenters have been demanding,” Jason said. “We’ve been waiting for this one for a long time.”
Ticket prices for Caitlin Clark’s jersey retirement are skyrocketing.
That didn’t take long.
On Wednesday, Iowa women’s basketball revealed it will be retiring Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey into the Carver-Hawkeye Arena rafters when it welcomes in JuJu Watkins and USC on Feb. 2, 2025. Clark will be in attendance for the ceremony.
It’s the perfect star-studded opponent on the perfect date to honor Clark and her iconic No. 22 Iowa jersey. It should make for a raucous environment and big-game feel from inside Carver.
Fans were already fired up for the big game between No. 7 USC and No. 22 Iowa. But, with the news that Clark is set to be honored with her jersey retirement, ticket prices have gone skyrocketing upwards.
“I’m forever proud to be a Hawkeye and Iowa holds a special place in my heart that is bigger than just basketball,” Clark said of her jersey retirement. “It means the world to me to receive this honor and to celebrate it with my family, friends and alumni. It will be a great feeling to look up in the rafters and see my jersey alongside those that I’ve admired for so long.”
Just some of Clark’s achievements include the all-time Division I men’s and women’s scoring record (3,951 career points), the most points in a Division I women’s college basketball season (1,234 points), the highest career points per game average in women’s Division I basketball history (28.4 points per game) and the most career 3-pointers in women’s Division I history (548).
After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, Clark was recognized as the WNBA Rookie of the Year following a sensational first season with the Indiana Fever.
Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 41.7% from the field, 34.4% from 3-point range and 90.6% from the charity stripe.
Like her time at Iowa, Clark continued her record-breaking ways during her rookie season with the Fever. Clark set the new WNBA single-season record for assists with 337 and its new single-season rookie scoring record with 769 points.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have plans to retire Caitlin Clark’s jersey, and we wouldn’t expect anything less.
It’s not often that someone’s jersey goes up into the rafters just a season after they completed their college career. However, it’s probably a foregone conclusion once you have things like a special home-court decal commemorating the shot that made that person the leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history. Obviously, they already have a resume worthy of such an honor.
So, it shouldn’t be shocking that the Hawkeyes would go all in on celebrating No. 22 with the perfect date to retire her jersey. When will it happen? On February 2, 2025 — yes, 2/2. Of course, Caitlin is scheduled to be in attendance as the Hawkeyes play USC. Grab the popcorn (and maybe some tissue), folks. This should be good.
Mark your calendars. An Iowa Hawkeyes legend is going up in the rafters at Carver-Hawkeye Arena who is unlike any other.
After giving us what was quite possibly the greatest collegiate basketball career of all time, Caitlin Clark will see her No. 22 jersey retired and hanging in the rafters.
Iowa women’s basketball has announced that the jersey retirement ceremony is set for Sunday, February 2, 2025.
The Hawkeyes host the USC Trojans and JuJu Watkins at 12:30 p.m. CT in a game that was already must-see television airing on FOX and has now become even bigger and an even hotter ticket to get your hands on.
Caitlin Clark, the NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader with 3,951 points, has a laundry list of accomplishments and awards from her time at Iowa.
She was a three-time Unanimous First-Team All-American, three-time Big Ten Player of the Year, a two-time John Wooden Award winner, a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year, and many more to name just a few.
The first pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark only continued her legendary ways. She took the Indiana Fever back to the playoffs while winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year and being named an All-WNBA First-Team Selection.
Clark has also transformed the game off the court. She has brought in ratings unlike any female athlete ever before, sent ticket prices into the stratosphere, and transformed the way that the WNBA operates.
There was no like her before. There will be no one like her after. Caitlin Clark is one of one and her No. 22 will live on forever.
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Caitlin Clark was on hand to watch Wisconsin basketball’s win over Butler
Wisconsin basketball’s 83-74 win over Butler on Saturday was attended by one of the most famous figures in the basketball world — Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
Clark was on hand with Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton to watch the action at Gainbridge Fieldhouse — the home of the Pacers.
The Badgers defeated the Bulldogs in the matchup thanks to season-best performances from big men Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter. The two combined for 38 points and 14 rebounds, providing the Badgers a key edge as they mostly struggled shooting the basketball (24% from three).
Greg Gard’s team also shot 92.6% from the free-throw line in the effort, tallying 30% of its total offensive production in that area.
The game was far from a representation of the highest level of basketball. The two teams combined for 42 fouls and 59 free throw attempts. Neither shot particularly well from deep in the neutral-site setting. As mentioned, Wisconsin’s interior scoring and efficiency from the free-throw line decided the matchup.
Clark, an emerging superstar in the sport, just wrapped up her rookie campaign with the Fever. She was the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year in a runaway, breaking a long list of records in the process. Her rise into stardom was also recently recognized by TIME Magazine Athlete of Year honors.
Wisconsin is back on the court on Dec. 22 at home against Detroit Mercy. It is then idle for 11 days before a Jan. 3, 2025 home matchup against Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes.
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After a phenomenal WNBA Rookie of the Year campaign with the Indiana Fever, former Iowa Hawkeye point guard Caitlin Clark has been named TIME’s 2024 Athlete of the Year.
The honor for Clark is recognition of her historic efforts as the leader of Iowa’s women’s basketball team that played for a national championship in a second-consecutive season and for her WNBA Rookie of the Year Award and league record-setting campaign.
In her first professional season with the Indiana Fever, 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 league scoring.
When asked by TIME what her best overall moment was from 2024, Clark struggled to pinpoint a singular moment and instead reflected on her triumphs from the national championship game run with Iowa to her sensational rookie season with the Fever.
“I feel like so much has happened over the course of the last year, from when I started my last college season, and not knowing if that would actually be my last season, whether I was deciding to come back to college or turn pro, and now sitting here, like, I’m done with my first professional season, and so much has happened.
“And whether it was, you know, making the National Championship game or getting the Fever back to the playoffs since 2016, there’s just a lot to be proud of. It happens so fast, like, it’s hard to appreciate in the moment, and kind of understand in the moment, but it’s been fun to reflect on,” Clark said.
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
While Clark’s athleticism on the court is sensational, her appeal off the court is also a major factor in her Athlete of the Year recognition.
With Clark as its superstar, the Fever appeared in the most-watched WNBA games ever on ABC, CBS, ESPN, and ESPN2 this past season. The WNBA also attracted an all-time record of more than 54 million unique viewers across all its national broadcasting platforms during the regular season, and the league’s overall attendance jumped 48% year over year to its highest level in more than two decades.
Clark’s fame and influence allowed the Fever to break the WNBA record for home attendance by a single franchise and even forced games to be moved to NBA and NHL arenas in Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C., to accommodate the hordes of fans.
While the distinction of TIME’s Athlete of the Year is high praise, Clark will have her eyes set on improving the Fever’s performance next season in hopes of capturing the franchise’s first WNBA title since 2012.
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Clark, who was just named the 2024 TIME Athlete of the Year, shared that news in her sitdown with TIME.
When Clark attended back-to-back Taylor Swift shows at Lucas Oil Stadium in early November, Clark met Swift’s mother and Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
“Saw Caitlin Clark there. She loves being out there in Indianapolis, says it’s a fun city. She was into the show, for sure. She was there with her mom and a few friends. She’s a Swiftie, through and through,” Kelce said of meeting Clark on his ‘New Heights’ podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce.
Clark also received four bags of Eras Tour merchandise from the singer along with a note from Swift.
Swift’s note said that Clark was inspiring to watch from afar and that “Trav and I” are excited to get to a Fever game now that the Eras Tour was winding down. Swift also invited Clark to come watch a Chiefs game with her.
For Clark, that sounds like a dream come true. Clark is a self-professed Swiftie and massive Chiefs fan.
Clark was also surprised by fans’ reception to her attendance at those Eras Tour shows.
“People are just going crazy that I’m there,” Clark said about her experience at the shows. “I thought people would be so in their own world, ready to see Taylor. And it was just completely the opposite.”
Clark said that fans turned around to take pictures and were tossing her friendship bracelets once they noticed her at the Swift concert in one of the Lucas Oil Stadium suites.
Swift’s intentions to see Clark play in person is just the latest illustration of Clark’s magnetic pull and the impact that the Hawkeye legend continues to have across the globe.
Clark just finished her rookie season in the WNBA where she was recognized as the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
The 6-foot point guard averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 41.7% from the floor, 34.4% from 3-point range and 90.6% from the charity stripe.
Clark set all sorts of records during her first season in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever. Clark set the single-season rookie scoring record (769 points), the single-season record for assists (337) and the single-game record for assists with 19 against Dallas on July 17.
Clark and the Fever open their 2025 WNBA season with a home date versus the Chicago Sky from inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 17, 2025 at noon CT.
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The Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rivalry stories dominated the WNBA headlines multiple times this season. Moreover, they’ve been going since the 2023 LSU-Iowa national championship. But now, even Caitlin is seemingly tired of the madness and is debunking the narrative.
Unfortunately, this won’t be the last time we discuss this. Some of you will ignore these words and keep going. (*deep sigh*) However, let the record show that the rivalry narrative has been debunked. Per Sean Gregory of Time, Clark shared that she never understood why people tried to make it a thing. “I don’t get it at all,” Clark said. “We’re not best friends, by any means, but we’re very respectful of one another. Yes, we have had tremendous battles. But when have I ever guarded her? And when has she guarded me?”
She also explained how Reese’s infamous John Cena celly, which seemingly started the narratives, was a nothing burger and that people ran with it. “I didn’t think it was taunting,” she explained. “It really didn’t bother me… the only thing people cared about was this controversy that was really fabricated and made up, and then that has continued to be the case ever since.”
Caitlin Clark on Angel Reese: “The only thing people cared about was this controversy that was really fabricated and made up, and then that has continued to be the case ever since” https://t.co/HjrUNeT6gC
In April, Clark was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever. She became the seventh WNBA rookie to be named a starter in the All-Star game, and was later named the league’s Rookie of the Year. Clark also became the fifth rookie ever to make the All-WNBA First Team.
Taylor Swift is a big fan of Caitlin Clark. Clark recently revealed that when she attended the Eras Tour earlier this year, Swift gave her some gifts, including a sweet note.
Caitlin Clark had a massive year and a breakout season in the WNBA, which included Rookie of the Year honors. Of course, having success like that creates a high profile and comes with a lot of attention. So, to escape the commotion and be herself for a while, Caitlin did things she loves, like attending a Taylor Swift concert. Per Sean Gregory of Time, Clark shared during her recent Athlete of the Year profile that she went to two Eras Tour shows at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
At the concerts, she met Taylor’s mom and, of course, her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Taylor was also kind enough to gift Caitlin four bags of tour merchandise, including a note that said she was “inspiring to watch from afar” and that she and Travis were “excited to get to a Fever game” after the tour. Caitlin’s also a lifelong Chiefs fan. So, of course, in true Taylor style, she invited Caitlin to watch a game with her.
Taylor Swift gave Caitlin Clark 4 bags of #ErasTour merch with a note saying she was inspiring to watch from afar.
Swift said “Trav and I” were excited to go to a Fever game now that the tour was winding down and invited Clark to attend a Chiefs game https://t.co/hlklSq2ZF3
