Caitlin Clark still goes to the grocery store.
She still likes to shop for candles, especially ones with fall spice motifs.
And no, she doesn't have a driver to pick up her food.
Amid all the fame and fortune that has followed the Fever superstar, Clark maintained that she is still just an average 22-year-old from Iowa making her way in life.
“I don't feel famous. I don't feel like a celebrity, so that's not the way I approach my life or the way I approach the people in my life,” Clark said Thursday night. as captured by Fieldhouse Files.
“I feel like that’s why people can connect with me, because I feel like I’m real and authentic to them and I try to be as normal as possible. I never try to seem superior to anyone. I just try to be someone who loves to play basketball and loves to bring joy to people and I feel very fortunate to be able to do that.”
Clark pulled back the curtain a bit to detail her entry into the world of athletic superstars on the day of her final WNBA regular season game of her historic rookie season.
The former Iowa star has drawn record crowds to the WNBA and has seemingly been in the spotlight all season, whether it be for her play or the reactions she elicited from fans and players.
Clark finished her rookie season tied for seventh with an average of 19.2 points per game, while adding 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists to help lead the Fever to the No. 6 ranking.
Along the way, there have been some highly scrutinized interactions with opposing players along with the ever-documented rivalry with Sky's Angel Reese.
Clark said she is proud of how she managed to stay focused amid all the outside noise.
“Obviously this last year of my life, whether it’s been in college or the WNBA, I’ve definitely been in the spotlight,” Clark said. “I feel like keeping my mind straight at all times is definitely hard when you’re 21, 22 years old and you’re doing this and everyone has an opinion of you. But I think for me, what I’m most proud of is that I’m really good at blocking that out, like I don’t really care what people think of me. I care what my teammates think of me, I care what my coaches think of me, I care what my family thinks of me, what my friends think of me in the close circle that I have.”
Teammate Erica Wheeler praised Clark for how she has navigated her freshman season, which continues Sunday when Clark opens her first-round playoff series against the Sun in Connecticut.
“All we do is have fun with Caitlin Clark, who never takes anything seriously,” Wheeler said. “I always tell people that she’s a kid at heart… There are times when we have to be serious and we are, but most of the time we’re having fun. Because you have to understand that the outside world was trying to get into this building, but we didn’t allow it.
“And having fun is a great way to keep that out.”
