Caitlyn Clark was on her way to the small town of Brookline for an event when something caught her eye. As her car approached the town’s outskirts, she noticed a woman sitting cross-legged on the grass near the entrance sign, surrounded by a sea of cars rushing past. The woman looked worn down—her clothes frayed, her hair tangled, her appearance suggesting she hadn’t had access to a shower in days, maybe weeks. A cardboard box sat beside her, battered and scuffed as though it had seen as much of the world as she had.
Caitlyn’s eyes lingered on the scene for a moment before she turned to her driver. “Hey, can you pull over?” she asked, her voice softer than usual.
The driver nodded and steered the car to the shoulder. Caitlyn felt a pang of something—maybe a mix of sadness, curiosity, and empathy. She didn’t want to approach the woman empty-handed, so she grabbed her lunchbox from the passenger seat. It was packed with a simple meal: a sandwich, some fruit, and a couple of small treats she liked to snack on during long trips.
Opening the door, Caitlyn stepped out into the cool, crisp air and made her way toward the woman. She moved slowly, not wanting to startle her, but noticing the far-off look in the woman’s eyes, as if she were staring at something only she could see.
“Hey there,” Caitlyn greeted gently, offering a warm smile. Her voice was soft, kind. The woman blinked and looked up, breaking her trance. She had tired eyes but managed a small smile back, perhaps surprised to see someone like Caitlyn standing in front of her.
“Hi,” she replied, her voice quiet but clear.
“I’m Caitlyn,” Caitlyn said, offering her hand gently. The woman shook it, her grip faint, but she smiled a little more. “Nice to meet you,” she said, looking at Caitlyn with a bit of curiosity, maybe recognizing her but not mentioning it.
Caitlyn studied her face for a moment before speaking again. “You look like you’ve had a rough time,” she said carefully, her tone more of an observation than a judgment.
The woman let out a sigh, her eyes glancing down at the box beside her. “Yeah, life’s been challenging,” she said, letting out a soft laugh, though it was more of a release than actual amusement.
Caitlyn nodded, giving her space to say as much or as little as she wanted. “Anything in there?” Caitlyn asked, pointing to the box.
“Just some old photos,” the woman replied, her eyes softening as she looked down at it. “A couple of things I couldn’t let go of.”
Caitlyn gave her a sympathetic look. “I understand,” she said softly. “Sometimes the smallest things make all the difference.”
The woman nodded. “Yeah, these are memories. It’s all I’ve got left.”
Caitlyn crouched down slightly, so they were at eye level. She wasn’t sure if it was the moment or the feeling of shared humanity, but she knew she couldn’t just walk away. She reached into her bag and pulled out her lunchbox. “I don’t want to overstep, but I wanted to share this with you,” she said, offering it to the woman. “It’s not much, just what I was going to eat later today, but I thought maybe you could use it more than me.”
The woman’s eyes widened slightly as she took the lunchbox, her hands trembling before she steadied them. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “You didn’t have to do this.”
Caitlyn smiled. “I know I didn’t,” she said, “but I wanted to. Everyone deserves a meal, right?”
The woman opened the lunchbox slowly, her expression softening as she looked inside. She saw the neatly packed sandwich, apple, and small packet of cookies. She looked back at Caitlyn, a flicker of gratitude in her eyes. “This is more than food,” she said quietly. “It’s kindness. You have no idea how much that means.”
Caitlyn glanced at her watch. She had planned to be in Brookline by now, but something tugged at her heart. She looked back at the woman, who was sitting quietly, still holding onto the lunchbox. Caitlyn sighed, thinking it over. “You know what?” she said, almost to herself. “I’m not in any rush.”
She reached back into the car and grabbed a second lunchbox—one she had packed for her driver, along with a couple of plastic cups she kept for emergencies. Her driver raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word. With a small nod, Caitlyn headed back to the woman and sat down beside her on the grass. “Figured it’d be better if we had lunch together,” she said, opening the lunchbox and setting it between them. “Hope you don’t mind me crashing your lunch spot.”
The woman smiled shyly, but her eyes were clearly grateful. “Not at all,” she said, breaking off a piece of her sandwich. “Thanks again for everything.”
They ate in comfortable silence for a while, the sound of passing cars and birds chirping filling the air. Caitlyn handed her one of the plastic cups and poured some juice from a thermos she had grabbed. She poured some for herself as well and held it up, grinning. “Fancy lunch on the finest patch of grass,” she joked.
The woman laughed, her expression lightening. They clinked cups together before sipping, a sense of camaraderie forming between them. Caitlyn could feel the connection growing, an unspoken bond forged in the simplicity of sharing a meal.
“It’s been a while since I’ve had any company,” the woman admitted quietly, her voice soft. “Ever since… well, since everything went south.”
Caitlyn’s face softened. “I’m here to listen, if you feel like talking,” she said. “No rush, no pressure.”
The woman took a deep breath. “My husband… he left about a year ago,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t blame him, not entirely. Things were rough, and I wasn’t in the best place, but he was all I had. And when he left…” She trailed off, her eyes turning toward the sky as if gathering her thoughts.
“When he left, I couldn’t keep the apartment. I was out of savings, and after that, well…” She looked back at the box beside her. “You end up here.”
Caitlyn nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a tough hand to be dealt,” she said, her voice gentle. “But you’re here. And that takes a lot of strength.”
The woman smiled faintly, a touch of gratitude in her eyes. “It’s hard. I’ve tried finding work. You know, I’d go to interviews, put on whatever decent clothes I had left, and put on a smile. But they just take one look at me and say, ‘We’ll call you.’ And that was it. Nobody calls.”
Caitlyn’s heart went out to her. She had met so many people in her life, heard so many stories, but this one hit differently. The resilience the woman had, despite everything she had gone through, was something Caitlyn could deeply appreciate. “That’s messed up,” Caitlyn said simply. “Everyone deserves a second chance.”
The woman smiled a little, her face lighting up slightly. “Thanks for saying that,” she said, her voice more steady now. “Sometimes it just feels good to be reminded that I’m not invisible.”
Caitlyn smiled warmly. “You’re not,” she said firmly. “You’ve been out here, fighting, and that’s something worth recognizing.”
They finished their sandwiches, and as the day went on, Caitlyn felt more and more like she was witnessing something meaningful. They continued to talk—about their lives, their struggles, their hopes—and Caitlyn couldn’t help but feel that this was the moment she was supposed to be here, the moment she was meant to be part of someone else’s story.
As they finished lunch, Caitlyn stood, offering her hand to the woman. “Take care of yourself, okay?” she said. “And if you ever need anything, you know where to find me.”
The woman stood, her expression softer now, a sense of hope in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said again, her voice trembling. “Thank you for everything.”
Caitlyn smiled, her heart full. She knew that this was more than just a lunch shared on a quiet patch of grass. This moment, this kindness, would stay with both of them for a long time.
And just as Caitlyn walked back to her car, she couldn’t help but feel a quiet, peaceful joy. Sometimes, she thought, the world wasn’t about the big things—it was the small acts of kindness that made all the difference.
Banged-up Caitlin Clark heads to Seattle for her first game vs. Storm
Never one to shy away from a hot topic, outspoken WNBA superstar Diana Taurasi caused a bit of a stir last month when she predicted Caitlin Clark would struggle during her first season in the league.
“Reality is coming,” Taurasi told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter when asked about Clark’s future in the WNBA. “There’s levels to this thing. That’s just life. We all went through it. You see it on the NBA side, and you’re going to see it on this side. You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time.
“Not saying it’s not going to translate, because when you’re great at what you do you’re just going to get better, but there is going to be a transition period when you have to give some grace as a rookie. It may take a little bit longer for some people.”
Who would know better what lies ahead for the NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader than the WNBA’s all-time scoring leader?
“The new fans are really sensitive these days,” Taurasi told The Arizona Republic during the Phoenix Mercury’s training camp weeks ago. “You can’t say anything.
“It’s kind of like when you go from kindergarten to first grade, there’s a learning adjustment. When you go from high school to college, there’s a learning adjustment. I don’t think I said anything that wasn’t factually correct. Like anything, greatness is going to translate and (Clark has) proven that at every level. I don’t see it being any different in the WNBA.”
After a week and four games into Clark’s rookie season, Taurasi’s blunt warning is proving to be somewhat prophetic.
While leading Iowa to a 34-5 record during her record-breaking 2023-24 senior season, the 6-foot scoring sensation averaged 31.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 8.9 assists while shooting 45.5% from the field and 37.8% on three-pointers.
Heading into Wednesday’s 7 p.m. matchup against the Storm — her first WNBA game in Seattle — the Indiana Fever’s No. 1 overall draft pick is averaging 17 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists while shooting 41.2% from the floor and 34.3% on threes.
Those are better than respectable statistics for Clark, who is the favorite to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year award.
It must be noted she also leads the league with 6.5 turnovers per game.
And the Fever are 0-4, including a couple of blowout losses.
To be fair, Indiana has endured a brutal schedule early in the season, which included home and away contests against the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun before their three-game West Coast road trip that includes stops in Seattle, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
“I think you could see the progress this team is making,” Clark said following Monday’s 88-84 loss to the Sun. “That’s why this one hurts a lot because we were right there, and we had plenty of opportunities to go win the game.
“And then you don’t. And it’s just some little things that we do to ourselves.”
Speaking of self-inflicted damage, Clark stumbled on defense while attempting to avoid a screen and rolled her left ankle midway in the second quarter. She went to the locker, returned minutes later and sat out the remainder of the first half.
“I turned it pretty good,” said Clark who played in the second half and finished with 17 points, five assists, three rebounds and five turnovers. “I think it just got caught. I don’t think I stepped on anybody. … I don’t have the best ankles in the world. It was a little tight this morning, but nothing out of the ordinary.
“It felt good. I just wanted to get a lot more tape on it as fast as I could.”
Seemingly, everyone in the WNBA collectively held their breath when Clark went down, and her injury status went viral on social media considering what she means to the league and her legion of sponsors.
On Tuesday, Clark continued to make history when she announced a marketing agreement with Wilson Sporting Goods — joining Michael Jordan as the only athletes to be a brand ambassador for the sports equipment giant.
Financial terms were not disclosed on a multiyear deal that includes a signature basketball line and a role in which she’ll test, advise and provide feedback on basketball products.
Clark, who has endorsement deals with State Farm, Gatorade and Panini, also reportedly signed an eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike that includes a signature shoe.
“I love the attention that she’s drawing,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said. “I love that we’re going to have a sellout crowd and I love what (she’s) doing for the game of basketball, not just women’s basketball, but basketball in general.”
On Wednesday, the Storm are expecting 18,353 fans — their second sellout and largest crowd at Climate Pledge Arena — as well as a franchise record-setting windfall of about $1.1 million in ticket revenue.
The Sparks and Aces moved their games against the Fever to larger venues to accommodate overflow crowds and cash in on the Clark phenomenon.
The Sparks relocated Friday’s game from Long Beach State’s Walter Pyramid (capacity 5,000) to Crypto.com Arena, which seats 19,067, in downtown Los Angeles.
The Aces, who play home games at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay (capacity: 12,000) will host the Fever on Saturday at 18,000-seat T-Mobile Arena.
“With the growth of the WNBA, it makes me wonder if other teams also need to start getting ready to play in bigger arenas on a regular basis,” Storm chief sales officer Kyle Waters said. “I’m thankful I work for a team that was ready for it.”
It remains to be seen if the Storm (1-3) will be ready for Clark and the Fever following a taxing East Coast road trip in which star forward Nneka Ogwumike suffered an ankle injury that caused her to miss the last two games, including Monday’s 74-63 listless loss against the Liberty.
Much like Indiana, Seattle hopes to rise from the bottom of last year’s standings to the postseason with a reconfigured roster. Both squads have stumbled at the start of the season.
“Win,” Storm guard Sami Whitcomb said Monday night when asked the team’s mindset heading into Wednesday’s game. “We believe in each other and we believe in what we’re doing. We know that we’re right there.
“So, it’s just fine tuning some things, we’ll watch some film and we’ll figure it out. … Every game the mentality is to win. We’ve come up short a couple of times, but improvements are being made and we’re right there.”
Clark, who never lost four straight games at Iowa, echoed similar sentiments Monday.
“We were right there,” she said. “You got to keep your head up, but you also have to get a fire within you that is upset, and not OK with losing four straight to open the year. I think our group has that.
“But also, there’s a sense of, you know, this is helping us get better. There’s going to be a time this season where it really shows that these four games we opened the season with, and it’s going to pay off.”
