Caitlin Clark is certainly used to the spotlight.
The 22-year-old exploded onto the scene in 2024, becoming a household name thanks to her WNBA exploits.
Her Rookie of the Year campaign with the Indiana Fever saw multiple records fall and viewership numbers smashed.
And thanks to her impressive display on the basketball court, Clark was named Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year in December.
The long running New York-based mag hands that honour to the star who has had the biggest impact on their sport, taking into account their profile as well as their professional achievements.
It’s fair to say, then, that there has been plenty of attention on Clark in the last 12 months.
But fame is unlikely to bother her.
In fact, the Fever star has been under the spotlight from a very young age.
She gained national attention with the Iowa Hawkeyes, impressing with her college performances week in, week out.
But Iowa wasn’t the only school interested in recruiting her.
Speaking to the New Heights podcast, Clark revealed that she was receiving offers from NCAA Division I basketball programs even before starting high school.
Thankfully, her parents hatched an ingenious plan to keep her grounded, despite all the attention.
“It’s honestly sad, where college recruitment has gone, it’s just insane,” Clark told the Kelce brothers.
“I was fortunate, my parents told my older brother to get the mail, they didn’t want me to see that.
“They wanted me to just be in seventh grade and enjoy middle school and hang out with my friends. You shouldn’t have to be worrying about where you’re going to college.”
Clark went on to explain that her parents also helped ensure basketball didn’t burn her out at a young age, by limiting how many times a day she would play.
“My mom would be like, ‘She’s not playing more than three games, or two games in one day, because that’s crazy’. Sometimes they would want me to play for the seventh grade team and the eighth grade team,” she added.
“My parents were really good about that. They didn’t want me to lose the love of it. They didn’t want me to get burned out. Looking back, I am very fortunate for that.
“I haven’t lost the fun of it, that passion for it.”
There’s no doubt that Clark’s family handled her unique childhood in the right way.
And now, all these years later, she looks well placed to continue making WNBA history.