Lisa Bluder Reveals Heartwarming Physical Way Caitlin Clark Goes ‘All In’

Former Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Bluder got honest about one way Caitlin Clark shows her love.

Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Lisa Bluder and Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) talk during practice for the NCAA Women’s Final Four championship basketball game between Iowa and South Carolina at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Saturday, April 6, 2024 in Cleveland. / Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

Legendary Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder decided to retire after her team’s second consecutive trip to the NCAA championship game in 2024, ending an incredible 24-season run at the helm of the Hawkeyes’ program.

This retirement coincided with the departure of star guard Caitlin Clark, who left Iowa for the WNBA after the Hawkeyes lost in the 2024 NCAA championship game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Not only did it make sense for Bluder to retire at this point because of her team’s turnover between seasons, but also because it’s hard to imagine she could have cultivated a better relationship with a future player than what she had with Clark.

These two have shared a lot of kind words about each other in the past. However, when Bluder was speaking with David Letterman for an April 8 episode of Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, she revealed that a physical gesture from Clark speaks 1,000 words.

Letterman asked Bluder, “What can you say about Caitlin that I don’t know?”

“She gives the best hugs you’ve ever had. She’s a great hugger,” Bluder said. “I mean, she goes all-in, puts her head on your shoulder.”

Letterman then lamented that he didn’t receive one of these Clark hugs during the two days they spent together.

“You weren’t hugged? You missed out on a Caitlin hug? The best,” Bluder responded.

david letterman: “what can you say about caitlin that i don’t know?”

lisa bluder: “she gives the best hugs you’ve ever had. she’s a great hugger. i mean, she goes all in, puts her head on your shoulder.”

Perhaps Bluder will be sitting courtside during some of the Indiana Fever’s 2025 games like she did in 2024, so that she can receive some more hugs from her former star player.