Caitlin Clark's journey from a young hooper almost named MVP of a boys' basketball league to becoming a WNBA superstar is a tale of confidence and determination. Her story showcases how her parents' open-mindedness played a crucial role in shaping her career.

Confidence from a Young Age

During a chat with Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts at the Massachusetts Conference for Women in Boston on December 12, Clark shared a story about playing against boys as a kid. She recalled, "I grew up playing with boys, and we never talked about how that was different or that was weird — that was just normal. You're better than a lot of girls, so we're going to toss you in with the boys. They struggled to find some girls' leagues where I grew up." Although her parents had kept this anecdote secret from her until recently, she now understands why her being named MVP of a boys' basketball league almost happened. Her dad was one of the coaches in the boys league, and they wanted to make her MVP. But some parents objected, saying a girl couldn't be the MVP. Clark quipped, "I was just better than all of them," attracting loud cheers. Clark credited her confidence at a young age to her parents' open-mindedness. She said, "There were moments where I struggled with my confidence, but overall, I was a very confident young girl. My parents never told me, 'You can't do this or you can't do that.'"

Importance of Confidence

The WNBA star now hopes young girls realize the importance of being confident throughout their athletic or non-athletic pursuits. She continued, "When I have failed, I've been confident in myself. For the younger girls that are growing up and wanting to be something, just be confident in yourself. And I know that's something people struggle with, but I think confidence is really important."

Whirlwind Year

Clark's whirlwind year included leading her Iowa Hawkeyes to the NCAA Women's College Basketball Championship game, becoming the first pick in the WNBA Draft, being selected for the WNBA All-Star Game, and winning the WNBA Rookie of the Year. She emphasized, "A year ago, around this time, I was basically just starting my senior year of college, so it's been crazy to think about that and how much my life has changed from that point. It's kind of, like, pinch yourself — whether it's making the Final Four, whether it's the draft, whether it was going on SNL. It's fun to look back and reflect."

Rookie Season in the WNBA

As a rookie, Clark started all 40 games for the Fever, averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.33 steals. She led the rookie class in assists, points, steals and minutes played this season. Clark set a WNBA record for most assists in a single season with 337, and she also finished with 122 three-pointers, just shy of the 128 league record. She said, "I just try to remind myself how grateful I am … there are so many people that would have loved to be in my shoes, and in the WNBA, there's less than 144 players, so it's an even smaller group of people than probably most industries or most professional sports leagues."