Caitlin Clark's experience at the women's World Cup has been a 'pinch-me moment' for the WNBA star

BERLIN (AP) — Caitlin Clark has been blown away by the enthusiasm from the international fan base turning out at the women’s FIBA World Cup and said the tournament is a fun respite from the “craziness” of the WNBA season .

In an interview with The Associated Press, Clark talked about her relationship with Angel Reese, how she has drawn inspiration from coach Mike Krzyzewski in pursuit of a team-first championship mindset and the growth of the international women’s game.

“I certainly do feel the pressure that there’s still so many people screaming my name. I look at it as we get to help advance the game globally,” Clark said. “This is my first time playing in Europe and getting to see how excited and passionate people are about the game here and where it can continue to go is is really, really cool.

“It’s maybe nice to get a little break of the craziness of the WNBA season,” Clark added, "but at the same time, I would never change anything, and I’m pretty used to it.”

Clark has been the epicenter of the women's game since leading Iowa to back-to-back NCAA championship games, one of which included a showdown with Reese. She also reiterated her feelings about her college rival, saying she appreciates Reese’s desire to win and her relentlessness on the court.

“We’re both fiery, fiery competitors and we want to win and it’s one of the things I really admire about her game,” Clark said. “She’s competitive and she has a tremendous motor, like she has one of the best motors in the league. She works just as hard as anybody on the court. So, it’s been fun to to be able to play with her.”

The glare on Clark in the WNBA has intensified with the Indiana Fever in contention to make a deep run in the playoffs now that she is healthy. At the World Cup fans are getting a preview of what they have clamored to see: Clark playing alongside some of the best players in the world.

The outcry was palpable when Clark was left off the US team that won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“I think she’s going to leave an incredible legacy. She certainly already has at this World Cup in particular," said Risa Isard, director of research and insights at women's sports marketing platform Parity. "The legacy of this entire new and next generation of women’s basketball players is really exciting. I mean the ceiling kind of does not exist.”

While Clark is looking forward to 2028, her immediate challenge is helping the U.S. win a fifth straight World Cup title — which adds a tinge more pressure.

“You don’t want to be the team that everybody talks about because you didn’t win,” Clark said. “You want to do what’s expected and that’s to win a gold medal. I think it would certainly help and hopefully it’s just a step in the direction of where I want to keep building and hopefully the goals that I want to achieve of hopefully playing in the Olympics in '28.”

Women's basketball's popularity is growing internationally and Clark takes great pride in being part of the growth. Being in Berlin with the cadre of U.S. stars, Clark's first experience has been somewhat eye-opening.

“When you get to see it up close and really understand the impact that you’re having and the way that the game’s been able to grow, that's special,” Clark said.

The Fever All-Star said that a fan came up to her before the USA's game against the Czech Republic and said that they traveled from Australia to watch her play.

"People are spending so much time and money, and people in surrounding European countries are coming here to be able to watch us, or get our signature or wear our jersey or try to get a photo. Sometimes you feel like that’s just the United States, but you’re coming to understand the game is really continuing to grow,” Clark said. “It is kind of a pinch-me moment to see.”

Like every player that dons the USA jersey, Clark understood she would have to assimilate into a star-studded cast. To help adjust to her role, Clark said she has watched videos online that featured Krzyzewski, the former USA Basketball men's coach, talking to the national team that featured Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and other stars.

The former Duke coach was saying how the only thing that matters is winning the gold. People wouldn't remember how many points a player would score, they would just ask if they won.

That resonated with Clark and the legacy she is building.

“You have to set everything that you want to achieve personally aside," Clark said. "At the end of the day, people don’t care about that if you have a gold medal hanging around your neck. So, that’s my goal and I think we have the group to do it.”

She averaged 7.6 points and 6.3 assists in the pool play games while coming off the bench. Her debut against China was a 14-point, 11-assist, zero turnovers effort.

Clark has struggled with her shot, going just 4-for-16 from behind the 3-point line.

“That’s normal for any shooter," U.S. coach Kara Lawson said of Clark's struggles. "They have stretches where you’re hot, stretches where you’re a little bit cold, but she provides a great playmaking aspect to our game.”

Clark entered the World Cup playing her best basketball of the season. Since the All-Star break, she's had 20 or more points in 10 of the 12 games. She also has had double-digit assists in seven of those games.

She doesn't have to do that on this team.

“Obviously there’s probably still a lot of pressure on me to perform at this is level, but I think that’s a great thing about USA basketball, it isn’t like the WNBA," Clark said. "You’re probably not going to come out here and score 30 and have 10 assists. That’s just not reality because of the talent we have.”

Clark is correct: fans remember gold medal winners and a title in Berlin would be a bookmark in the unfinished championship chapter of her résumé.

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here