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Caitlin Clark’s basketball career has made her one of the most recognizable athletes in the United States, but the Indiana Fever star once dominated in another sport.
A meeting with soccer legend Robert Lewandowski apparently reminded Clark of those days. Lewandowski attended Indiana’s 113-90 victory over the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena on Sunday. He and Clark posed for a picture before the game, which the Fever later shared on social media.
Clark reposted the image to her Instagram story and included an interesting message.
“Need to break my cleats out,” Clark wrote alongside three soccer ball emojis.
It was a playful comment, but Clark has the background to make the idea more believable than it might initially appear.
Clark was a legitimate high school soccer star
Before concentrating exclusively on basketball, Clark played varsity soccer at Dowling Catholic High School in Iowa. She scored 23 goals during her freshman season and earned Class 3A All-Iowa recognition from the Des Moines Register. Clark remained a varsity starter during her first two years of high school before stepping away from the sport to focus on basketball.
That decision worked out rather well.
Clark became a college basketball superstar at Iowa before joining the Fever as the No. 1 selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is now a three-time WNBA All-Star and is producing the best professional season of her career. Through Indiana’s win over Chicago, Clark was averaging 22.1 points, 8.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 45 percent from the field.
She delivered one of her best performances of the season against the Sky, finishing with 37 points, 10 assists and a career-high eight 3-pointers.
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Soccer remains part of Clark’s interests
Clark’s involvement in soccer extends beyond her high school career. In 2024, she joined an ownership group attempting to bring an NWSL expansion franchise to Cincinnati. The league ultimately selected Denver, but Clark’s involvement demonstrated her continued interest in the growth of women’s soccer.
Lewandowski is beginning a new chapter of his own in the United States. The prolific Polish striker signed with the Chicago Fire in June and has scored three goals through his first six appearances. There is almost no chance the Fever would endorse Clark trading basketball shoes for cleats during the season. Indiana has championship expectations, and its star guard is playing some of the best basketball of her career.
Still, Clark’s message offered a reminder that her athletic ability was never confined to one court. Indiana fans should not expect to see her starting at forward for the Fire, but an offseason soccer appearance suddenly feels like an entertaining possibility.
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