Caitlin Clark Shares Comfort Meals And All-Star Indy Food Recs
With the Assist: Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark dishes on teamwork, comfort food, and Indy ... More favorites. (Photo by)
Rookie of the Year. All-WNBA First Team selection. All-Star starter. Single-season assists record holder. Rookie scoring record. Ratings juggernaut. Caitlin Clark didn't just step into the WNBA last season: she helped shift its entire cultural axis. From sold-out arenas to nationally televised games drawing millions, the Indiana Fever star became a face of the league overnight, bringing unprecedented attention, ticket sales, and fan engagement with her. Now entering her sophomore season, Clark isn't slowing down. She's still finding her footing in the pros but doing it with grace, perspective, and a growing list of brand collaborations that feel less like business and more like belonging.
'I feel like I'm truly part of their team,' Clark told Forbes of her long-standing relationship with State Farm. She returns this spring in a new campaign for the brand's With the Assist platform alongside Jake from State Farm, highlighting the unseen plays—on and off the court—that make everything possible. 'They really invest in sports, especially women's sports and the WNBA,' she said. 'It's a very authentic partnership for me.'
Authenticity, in fact, is what Clark seems to be leaning into most this year. When asked what her biggest takeaway was from her whirlwind rookie season, she doesn't cite stats or spotlight moments. Instead, she talks about presence. 'Give yourself grace,' she says. 'Enjoy every single moment. Be where your feet are.'
Still just 23, Clark is only in her second season and she knows it. 'Hopefully there's still a long ways for me to go to continue to improve and get better,' she added. In the meantime, the Iowa native is continuing to settle into the Hoosier State, which is increasingly feeling like home.
Below, Clark talks about the assists that shaped her, her ultimate comfort meal, and where to eat in Indiana for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend.
That's a really good question. I think the first person that comes to mind is my mom. She's always there for me, and moms are the best. Whether it's through the good moments or the bad moments, she's been there to pick me up. She's been there to celebrate all the good times with me. I know it's not really a moment, but I think more so of a person that I've been able to share a lot of those moments with, whether they've been good or bad. She's been there to assist me in everything that I've done throughout life, so I feel very fortunate.
I think always, especially in sports, how can you serve your teammates? Servant leadership is really important. That's going to help you build really great chemistry and great bonds with your teammates. It's just thinking of how you can serve them. I think it's the same in life for every single person. It's how you can serve your family, how you can serve your friends. Try to be selfless in whatever way you can. Everybody always needs a little pick-me-up or a little assist, whether that's me doing it on the court, but I also try to do it off the court as well.
I think Keith Porter, our new player development coach at the Fever, who came over from Connecticut with [coach] Steph [White]. I think he's somebody that I've spent so much time with this offseason just trying to get better and work on my game. Obviously, he's never going to get the credit he deserves. So I think that's an underrated assist for sure. He was always there. He was always accessible. He wanted to help me in whatever way he could. He knows he's not going to get all the love in the world, but he wanted to do it to help me succeed. So certainly him.
It certainly feels like home. It feels really similar to Iowa, which I think has made it a very easy transition for myself. Obviously, both in the Midwest, they both love basketball. I think what's made it so easy is just the support from day one when I showed up here. It's just the state. This is a basketball state. It always has been. It always will be. They love the Pacers. They love the Fever. They love high school basketball. They love college basketball. So I feel like it's just been a very welcoming and fun place to be able to play my short year and beginning of my second year of professional basketball. I think the biggest thing has just been that I felt very welcome since day one. It's really starting to feel like home.
There's so many. That's so tough. I would probably go with roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn. I'm obviously from the Midwest. It's such a Midwest answer. But that feels like a true home-cooked comfort food meal. But my favorite food that I go to is Smash Burgers. Cheeseburgers. I'm always on the lookout for a good cheeseburger.
I have a whole list I could give you. I think my favorite steakhouse downtown is probably Prime 47. It's really good. Good steakhouse. BRU Burger is good. Those are good burgers. Go to Mass Ave. It's a street close to the arena. You'll be able to find it. There's a ton of good restaurants. I promise you'll find something you like.
Growing up, there was always this plot of land that I would drive by on my way home from school with my parents. I loved cooking. I loved baking. I always wanted to help my mom. I loved going to new restaurants. Obviously, I wanted to have a restaurant. Now, I still do want to have a restaurant, but I don't want to call it the Rib Crib anymore. When I was a kid, I loved ribs for some reason. It's what I wanted for every birthday. I like ribs still, but not as much as I used to. I feel like now I would open a restaurant and make it all of my favorite meals. Whether it's from my mom's cooking or that I've tried to cook.
I usually just eat chicken and rice or chicken and pasta. It's the basic athlete meal. I usually eat applesauce or fruit snacks at halftime of every game. I guess that, but nothing crazy, really.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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