Ever since Caitlin Clark joined the WNBA in 2024, the Indiana Fever star has had to navigate racially and politically charged controversies. NBA commissioner Adam Silver even described her as a “political football” after the Alyssa Thomas incident. So when she arrived in Chicago for the All-Star Weekend, former U.S. President Barack Obama made sure to remind her not to lose her “joy.”
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That moment didn’t go unnoticed by those closest to the Fever star. Shortly afterward, Connor McCaffery, Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend, shared a photo of CC posing alongside teammates Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston with the former President on his Instagram Story, adding three blue hearts. Even her former Iowa coach, Lisa Bluder, reposted the moment with a simple caption: “Amen.”
CC touched down in Chicago on Friday, just in time to link up with Team Teresa Weatherspoon for practice at the newly opened Barack Obama Presidential Center. Obama, who’s no stranger to the sport, showed up to watch and meet the players himself. He gave a short speech, then went around greeting everyone individually. When he got to CC, he told her to keep her head up, even on the days the world feels stacked against her.
“You’re great. You’re fantastic… Don’t let all this nonsense get you down,” Obama said.
“I always say one of the things that was luckiest for me was, I didn’t get famous ‘til I was like 45,” he added. “So I was an old a** man. You’re my daughters’ age. They’ve not had that much immersion in nonsense. So don’t lose that joy. The game’s like the game. And you’re a hooper. And you hoop.”
His advice prompted Caitlin Clark to humbly reply, “I try, sometimes.”
But Obama quickly disagreed and further added, “No, you’re always hooping! And you’re on a nice little run right now.”
Now, his advice clearly resonated with Caitlin Clark, who admitted that this conversation was something she would remember for a long time.
“It was obviously super cool,” she said. “He just complimented me for the way that I handle everything, obviously with everything that’s been going on. He’s somebody that has been in front of the media quite a bit… And sometimes I think people don’t always realize I’m 24 years old, and I’m trying to navigate a lot of different things while trying to play basketball at the same time.”
“It was cool to hear that from him. And I think honestly it’s probably a good reminder for all of us, of treating people with respect, treating people with grace. Definitely a moment I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life. My hands don’t usually get pretty sweaty and clammy for certain things, but it did for that,” she added.
With the WNBA All-Star Game set for Saturday night at the United Center, Caitlin Clark will once again be in the spotlight. But after Obama’s words of encouragement, she’ll head into the showcase with a simple reminder: tune out the noise, keep hooping, and don’t lose the joy of the game.