Iowa Hawkeyes to Retire Caitlin Clarks’ No.22 Jersey

There will never be another @CaitlinClark22 & there will never be another 2️⃣2️⃣.

The #Hawkeyes will retire Clark’s No. 22. pic.twitter.com/bTyWRXwJir

— Iowa Women’s Basketball (@IowaWBB) April 10, 2024

Honoring a Legend

Caitlin Clark’s stats and accolades are too numerous to mention but being named the Naismith National Player of the Year and Wooden Award winner in consecutive seasons while breaking the all-time scoring title, regardless of gender, are those that quickly illustrate how profound her impact has been not only on the University of Iowa but women’s basketball in general.

🚨ATTENTION🚨: Caitlin Clark is the 2024 @jerseymikes Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year🔥@iowawbb | #JerseyMikesNaismith pic.twitter.com/L2JrXUgw0t

— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) April 3, 2024

“We always knew your jersey would be hanging in the rafters,” Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz said Wednesday during the Hawkeyes team celebration at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. “It is a privilege for me to now make that official. You will be the last to wear No. 22.”

Clark made NCAAW news this season when she broke the collegiate basketball scoring record held since 1970 by the late Pete Maravich with 3,951 total points and 1,144 total assists. Although her four years in a Hawkeyes’ uniform include a plethora of highlight-reel performances, losing in the national championship finals in the last two seasons was one of the few coveted goals that eluded her.

After being informed of the honor, Clark said, “It’s super incredible, something I’m very thankful for and obviously I’ve had some amazing teammates over the course of my four years here. There’s been a lot of really good 22s to come before me and play for this program, whether it’s Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic, so that number holds a lot of weight, far beyond my name, and I guess I’m just really grateful and it will be a special day when it happens, for sure.”

Caitlin Clark through the years (2016-2024) pic.twitter.com/R18Ax0sESi

— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) April 7, 2024

A Tourist Attraction

With the media circus that began to swell in her junior year, not only did her school reap the financial dividends but so too did the community. Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague revealed Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes brought in an estimated $82.5 million to the local economy.

Iowa city mayor Bruce Teague says the women’s basketball team added $82.5M to the local economy 💰

(h/t @EliotClough) pic.twitter.com/9eTc2DXFiD

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 11, 2024

And not only did the university and the surrounding community prosper financially but it has been reported that Clark has made $3.1 million off her Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreements as well as a variety of paid sponsorships.

As Clark moves on from her college career, announcing her move to the professional level despite a year left of college eligibility due to COVID, she will undoubtedly be drafted No. 1 overall by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and will continue to make plenty of money off her endorsement deals.

Although her base salary in the WNBA will be a mere $76,535, she will continue to earn big money from corporations that want to align with the most prolific college basketball scorer in history. Household names like Gatorade, State Farm, Buick, and Nike have all lined up to pay Clark for her sponsorship.

The end of the story is only the beginning of the legend. @CaitlinClark22. pic.twitter.com/7s8Pp8TKNv

— Nike (@Nike) April 8, 2024

“I grew up watching Nike athletes across all sports play their game,” Clark said in a release announcing the agreement in late 2022, stating she was “humbled” to join the current roster of Nike athletes.