Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark received another award Tuesday as Time Magazine Female Athlete of the Year and the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year reflected on the countless narratives that have formed around her throughout 2024, including the missed opportunity to be selected to the U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team last summer become.

In a detailed interview with TimeClark said she told now-former Fever head coach Christie Sides that not making the team “awakened a monster” and that it “will definitely motivate me throughout my career.”

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Clark also acknowledged the debate that raged around her, which was less about her skills on the court and more about how her marketability could have drawn attention to the already dominant Olympic team.

“I don’t want to be there because I’m someone who can attract attention,” Clark said Time. “I love this for women’s basketball. But at the same time I want to be there because they think I’m good enough. I don’t want to be a little person being dragged around for people to cheer for and just watch because I’m on the bench.”

Although she briefly commented at the time that she had not been selected, the discourse extended well into the national team’s preparation for Paris, much of it with the same toxicity that gripped the Fever’s games against Chicago Sky in the first half of the season . Team USA, meanwhile, won its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal.

Clark also addressed her decision to forego joining Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league created by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier that will begin in January, saying it was not the year to add more basketball to their schedule. “It will be good for me to do my own thing and have my own space,” Clark said. “I kind of just want to stay out of the spotlight.”

The desire for space is understandable, considering the huge demand for all things Caitlin Clark. Their presence not only led to the WNBA’s best attendance figures in two decades, but also new attendance and merchandise records. Golf Channel’s live coverage of their recent mediocre Pro-Am performance reflected Tiger Woods’ prime. FC Cincinnati’s decision to include Clark in its bid for an NWSL franchise was certainly spurred by her fame.

Speaking of star power, Clark’s play not only brought a legion of fans to the WNBA, but also sparked a friendship with music megastar Taylor Swift. Clark attended two of the three shows in Indianapolis when Swift’s groundbreaking “Eras Tour” came to town in November. In a note to Clark, detailed by TimeSwift said “Trav (Travis Kelce) and I” planned to attend a Fever game and invited Clark to a Kansas City Chiefs game. If both moments occur, the crossover could destroy the internet.

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