Caitlin Clark wasn’t in attendance for the 2024 EPSY Awards, but she continue to experienced a major evening.
The WNBA star, 22, gained two awards — the very first of which she attained throughout the Thursday, July 11, crimson carpet broadcast. She took home the trophy for Very best Higher education Athlete Women’s Sports activities before Serena Williams took the phase to host the present.
Once the awards ceremony got underway, Clark acquired her next award for Most effective Report-Breaking Efficiency, beating out the NFL’s Christian McCaffrey. Despite being out of state, she shared a virtual information for her acceptance speech.
“I just required to say thank you for this recognition. Definitely, I could not be there tonight,” she told the audience, noting, “I’m a minor little bit busy in Indianapolis.”
She gushed: “This award implies a large amount not only to myself but to my teammates and coaches that I had at the University of Iowa. It’s distinctive for all of us and it was a special calendar year in women’s athletics. Thank you, ESPN.”
Clark concluded, “I just want to give a shout-out to all the nominees and award winners tonight. I’m unhappy I could not be there but I hope you all have an remarkable evening.”
In advance of the celebration, Clark was the most nominated athlete, racking up a few nods for Very best Athlete, Women’s Sporting activities, Finest College or university Athlete, Women’s Athletics and Finest History-Breaking Performance for getting the NCAA’s All-Time Scoring Chief.
Clark’s popularity has been on the increase due to the fact her extraordinary operate actively playing university basketball at the University of Iowa. In April, she was selected as the No. 1 over-all decide on in the 2024 WNBA draft, and she designed her expert debut with the Indiana Fever the pursuing month.
In spite of her ubiquity as of late, Clark did not make the U.S. women’s basketball team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In June, she reacted to remaining still left off of the roster.
“I’m psyched for the women [who] are on the crew,” Clark instructed Indy Star sporting activities reporter Chloe Peterson at the time. “I know it’s the most competitive crew in the globe and I know it could have absent possibly way with me becoming on the team [or] me not being on the group. I’m excited for them.”
She extra: “I’m heading to be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up looking at the Olympics, so it’ll be entertaining to observe them.”
Clark insisted that she experienced “no disappointment” more than not earning a spot on the team.
“I imagine it gives you a thing to perform for. You know, it’s a desire and ideally just one working day I’ll be there,” she continued. “I feel it is just a minor additional inspiration … and with any luck , in 4 years — when four many years comes back again about — I can be there.”
Amid her escalating impact on the athletics globe, some have criticized Clark’s recognition, boasting that her race has factored into it. Nevertheless, Stephen A. Smith defended Clark in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly.
“I think, as a modern society, we have to develop up,” he reported in May possibly. “Race is always a part we just cannot disregard, but it does not constantly have to be unfavorable. When you seem at Caitlin Clark — certainly, she’s white, and indeed, she’s acquiring a amount of shine that others prior to her didn’t get who transpired to be Black and they ended up great gamers — but that is an indictment towards culture.”
Smith, 56, noted that the media “is likely to go the place the tale is” and Clark “has finished a phenomenal occupation turning herself into a story,” introducing, “She happens to be white, but also transpires to be a fantastic basketball player, a great human being with marvelous household history with great marketability belongings.”