It has been a rollercoaster 2025 for Caitlin Clark. After a historic 2024 where she claimed Rookie of the Year honors and effectively changed the gravity of the WNBA, her 2025 campaign was cut cruelly short. An injury in July sidelined her after just 13 games with the Indiana Fever. Fortunately, the wait was over weeks ago. While in Durham, North Carolina, Clark looked like her old self when she joined 17 other WNBA standouts at Duke University for the USA Women’s Basketball training camp.
With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, Clark, who says she finally feels “100% physically”, is leading a youth movement that includes fellow young stars like Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Cameron Brink. The chemistry was evident, but there was one glaring detail that caught everyone’s attention, the missing number 22. Instead of her iconic jersey, Clark was sporting number 17, a change that she finally addressed in a candid conversation with some of the biggest names in the NFL.
Caitlin Clark Explains the Number 17 to Travis and Jason Kelce
On the December 31st episode of the New Heights podcast, Caitlin sat down with Travis and Jason Kelce to talk about her return to the spotlight. Naturally, the brothers didn’t miss the chance to ask why the most famous number 22 in basketball was nowhere to be seen at the Team USA camp. Clark admitted the change was jarring for her as well, explaining that international basketball rules operate a bit differently than the WNBA or NCAA.
“I didn’t get to pick… 17 is not the best number ever, I wouldn’t have picked that,” Clark told the Kelce brothers. “We just get assigned a random number. If I eventually make the team, it’s weird. In international basketball, I think it’s four through 15. Those are the only numbers… Isn’t that weird? Like, you don’t get to pick, at least for the United States.”
Despite the “random” number, Clark’s pedigree remains undeniable. In her first professional year, she became the first rookie ever to record a triple-double, while setting the single-season assist record with 337 and rookie highs in scoring (769 points) and three-pointers (122).
At just 23 years old, and finally healthy, Clark is clearly focused on the long game. Missing Paris might have stung, but with the 2028 Olympics in her sights and her health back at 100%, the number on her back matters much less than the name on the front.
A New Generation Takes Over Team USA
For many fans, seeing Clark back on the court was a relief, but seeing her in a different jersey was a bit of a shock. Clark was one of 10 players making their senior team debut at the camp, a group that represents the future of the American dynasty.
During the camp, Clark reunited with long-time junior teammates like Bueckers and Brink, with whom she previously won gold in junior competitions. For nearly three decades, the U.S. women’s national team has solidified its standing as the most dominant unit in basketball history, having secured eight straight Olympic gold medals since the 1996 Atlanta Games. The camp signals that the next generation is ready to uphold that gold standard.
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