With nostalgia, Caitlin Clark remembers an incident that, in her opinion, transformed her life in the space of ten seconds. It’s difficult to ignore the significance of that brief moment ten years ago, even though her path to this point has been nothing short of miraculous.
Clark’s father Brent took her to a Minnesota Lynx game ten years ago when she was twelve years old, from their Des Moines, Iowa, home. Back then, WNBA sensation Maya Moore was a force to be reckoned with. She led the Lynx to four titles in seven seasons and was named Finals MVP in 2013.
Moore was Clark’s favorite player, and Caitlin raced up to give him a hug in the middle of the mingling spectators after the game.
When Clark first met Moore
Ten years later, Clark is poised for a remarkable professional basketball career. The effects of that 10-second encounter are still being felt as she gets ready to play her first preseason game with the Indiana Fever.
She might have gone on to become a spectacular basketball player, but that encounter with Moore changed her life and motivated her to strive for excellence. Clark said,
“Ten seconds can go a long way in somebody’s life,”
“That’s a good lesson whether you play sports or don’t play sports, how you treat somebody matters.
“I just try to take as much time as I can for those young girls because Maya was so nice to me when I ran up to her, and that’s something that’s stuck with me all the way until I’m 22 years old.”
