WNBA standout Caitlin Clark won the AP Female Athlete of the Year award over Simone Biles.
After a record-setting career at Iowa, Clark left college as the NCAA's top scorer. Clark, the No. 1 choice in the 2024 WNBA Draft, was named WNBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game, setting multiple milestones, including the single-game assist record (19).
Clark guided the Indiana Fever to its first postseason spot since 2016 and is leading a women's sports revolution. As a professional, Clark's Fever consistently broke the WNBA game attendance record.
Clark was named TIME's 2024 Athlete of the Year this month. She quickly added another award after Clark was voted AP Female Athlete of the Year for 2024.
Clark received 35 votes from 75 Associated Press sports journalists and members to designate the Fever guard winner. Biles placed second with 25 votes, while boxer Imane Khelif received four.
The fourth pro women's basketball player to win the award since 1931, Clark's win is historic. The reigning Rookie of the Year joins basketball luminaries Sheryl Swoopes (1993), Rebecca Lobo (1995), and Candace Parker (2008 and 2021).
Clark expressed admiration for Parker in a phone conversation with AP to receive the award, but not for Swoopes. Clark stated, “I grew up a fan of Candace Parker and the people who came before me, so to be honored in this way is super special and I'm thankful. This year was wonderful for women's basketball and sports.”
Swoopes has minimized Clark's WNBA performances since she joined. Clark's individual success is a monument to women's sports and basketball's rise, but she was a catalyst.
Lobo has lauded Clark rather than downplaying her effect. The 51-year-old told AP: “She's brought unprecedented attention both in the building, but also viewership to the sport that was worthy of it but didn't have it yet. This has never happened before. The 1995–97 period was a little step.