A Star Is Born: Caitlin Clark’s Inspiring Message of Gratitude to WNBA Greats on ‘SNL
When Michael Che introduced Caitlin Clark on his and Colin Jost’s “Saturday Night Live” segment “Weekend Update,” Viewers anticipated seeing another comedian enter the picture wearing a long, dark wig.
Rather, the real holder of the men’s and women’s basketball NCAA all-time scoring record made an appearance.
The anticipated No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft was in New York City, and Clark joined Che at the desk, the set for the segment, to discuss the draft. The draft is scheduled for Monday night at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The live audience gave Clark a well-deserved 20-second standing ovation, which would have lasted longer if she had not interrupted to introduce the piece.
“Hey Michael, thanks for having me,” Clark said.
“I am a fan Caitlin, by the way,” Che said.
“Really Michael, because I heard that little apron joke you did …” Clark said lightheartedly of a joke Che made minutes before, in which Che said before introducing Clark that Iowa will have her No. 22 jersey retired “and replaced with an apron.”
The audience quickly gasped at Che is remark, but they also applauded Clark for continuing to joke around and criticizing Che for his previous many jokes disparaging women’s sports. Clark claimed that she wrote several “excellent” rib-ticklers on women’s sports, in contrast to those jokes. Next, Che read them out loud.
“This year Caitlin Clark broke the record for 3-pointers in a single season and I have three-pointers for Michael Che,” Che said, reading the joke. “One: Be. Two: Funnier. Three: Dumba—.”
The Caitlin Clark effect had already entranced the audience, and they loved it.
In closing, Clark expressed her gratitude to the “great players” who came before her for “building the foundation” for the WNBA. One of them, South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, recently referred to Clark as “one of the GOATs of our game” following a season in which she broke multiple records and contributed to the game’s increased popularity.
According to ESPN, the Iowa-South Carolina championship game was the most viewed basketball game (men’s or women’s, college or professional) since 2019. It peaked at 24.1 million people, setting a record for viewership. Additionally, ticket sales soared; in less than 30 minutes, all tickets for Iowa’s NCAA Tournament first and second rounds at Carver-Hawkeye Arena sold out. The women’s Final Four tickets had a get-in price of approximately $965, plus service fees.
After graduating from college, Clark had more than 3,900 points and a number that no Iowa women’s basketball player would ever again wear. But on Monday, when Clark hears her name for the first time as a professional, she gets a fresh start.
“I’m sure (my rookie year in the WNBA will) be a big first step for me,” Clark said. “But it’s just one step for the WNBA, thanks to all the great players like Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, the great Dawn Staley and my basketball hero, Maya Moore. These are the women that kicked down the door, so I could walk inside.”
Then Clark signed an apron and gave it to Che. It is not necessary to wear it to where Clark cooks, therefore she will not need it.
(Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)