The hype for Caitlin Clark’s arrival in the WNBA is so immense that she is signing autographs for kids who aren’t even born yet.
While attending the Milwaukee Bucks-Indiana Pacers playoff game in Indianapolis on Friday night, one fan got Clark to sign an ultrasound picture.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
Caitlin Clark signed this fan’s ultrasound 😅❤️
Caitlin Clark signed this fan’s ultrasound 😅❤️
(via @IndianaFever)
pic.twitter.com/s4c21uwt79— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport)
April 27, 2024
This situation puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the family who got the autograph. Clark was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever after leading Iowa to the national title game in back-to-back years.
Clark memorabilia is among the most valuable on the market right now for collectors. Getting her autograph on anything increases its value exponentially.
The family that holds the ultrasound has to protect it at all costs, both for its personal significance with an image of their unborn child and general significance with Clark’s signature.
We can probably assume the family is more connected to the image of the child, but Clark is weeks away from starting her WNBA career after one of the best college runs for any player in history.
It does appear the family had the picture laminated, which will preserve the image for many years. But that also presents a problem because Clark’s signature could fade over time.
The smart move would have been to get the picture out of the protective cover, let Clark sign it and laminate it again. This also assumes there was any planning involved ahead of time, when the more likely explanation is the person who received the autograph probably panicked looking for anything when they realized there was an opportunity to get Clark’s signature.
It was a great day for the fan. They got an autograph from the most famous women’s basketball player in the country and saw a thrilling playoff game that the Pacers won 121-118 when Tyrese Haliburton converted the go-ahead three-point play with 1.1 seconds remaining in overtime.
