The wins just keep coming for Caitlin Clark. Fresh off being named TIME Athlete of the Year due to her ‘really good at basketball’ privilege, the University of Iowa announced that they are retiring her No. 22 jersey.
Clark’s impact on women’s basketball at the collegiate level was monumental, breaking scoring records and leading Iowa to back-to-back NCAA championship games. Her legacy extends beyond statistics, having inspired a new generation of fans and players with her creativity and flair on the court.
The ceremony will occur on February 2, 2025, during a game against USC at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. That date is 2-2 for those who didn’t pick up on the significance.
Clark will be honored on a day when JuJu Watkins will be in town playing for the Trojans. Watkins has been outpacing Clark’s scoring rate in her young career.
Clark’s jersey will join those of Michelle Edwards and Megan Gustafson in the rafters, cementing her place among Iowa’s basketball elite.
Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey will be retired by Iowa at a special ceremony 👏 pic.twitter.com/lETLWsREpD
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 18, 2024
Ticket Prices Soar To See Caitlin Clark’s Jersey Retired
Ticket prices for the game where Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey will be retired at Iowa have soared to unprecedented heights.
Following the announcement, the cheapest ticket on the secondary market jumped from $200 to $711 in just 40 minutes, with some listings exceeding $1,000. That’s according to TickPick.
The game against USC has become the most expensive women’s basketball ticket on record. The surge in demand is attributed to Clark’s immense popularity and the historic nature of the event, showcasing her impact on the sport.
Comparatively, other Iowa home games have tickets starting around $25, underscoring the unique draw of Clark’s jersey retirement.
Iowa is retiring Caitlin Clark’s jersey number on February 2nd.
— TickPick (@TickPick) December 19, 2024
The cheapest ticket to the game is $711.
This is currently the most expensive women’s basketball ticket on record.
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Clark Talks About The ‘Great Feeling’
Caitlin Clark issued a statement following the announcement that her jersey number was being retired. And she seems pretty thrilled about the whole thing.
“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.
“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.”
Clark was crowned earlier this week as TIME’s Athlete of the Year for 2024. In chronicling her career, TIME noted her vast accomplishments at Iowa as a precursor to her vast accomplishments in the WNBA.
“In February, she set the new NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball scoring record. A few weeks later, she broke Hall of Famer Pete Maravich’s mark, making her the top scorer overall,” they wrote.
“Her college championship game between Iowa and South Carolina averaged 18.9 million viewers, becoming the second most watched women’s sporting event, outside the Olympic Games, in the history of U.S. television, with American viewership outdrawing that of each game of the 2024 NBA Finals and World Series,” TIME added.
“And for the first time ever, more people tuned in for the women’s NCAA championship than the men’s.”
Clark was the consensus national player of the year as a junior and senior at Iowa before moving on to become the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever.
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