"A lot of people don't realize like how goofy I actually am" - Caitlin Clark opens up about her off-court personality

Yahoo

25-07-2025

"A lot of people don't realize like how goofy I actually am" - Caitlin Clark opens up about her off-court personality originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Like the persona of the man whose signature sneakers she proudly wears, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is a competitor of the highest order. Like the late great Kobe Bryant, she is a relentless opponent who will stop at nothing to give her team the victory.
From talking smack with her opponents to having intense conversations with game officials to making sure her teammates are in the trenches with her, Caitlin is as fierce a competitor as they come.
But what many people don't see is her playful and goofy side. In a recent interview with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe, she spoke about how playful she is with everyone around her, ensuring the vibe remains light despite their pursuit of the WNBA title.
A goofball at heart
When pundits, teammates, or even other WNBA players talk about Caitlin, the first thing they often highlight is her intense, almost stubborn, competitive spirit. Something she put on display beginning in high school when she attended Dowling in her hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, where she willed the Hawkeyes to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA national championship game.
However, behind the scenes, she claimed she is a goofball at heart and loves bringing humor and playfulness into her daily life.
"I feel like a lot of people don't realize like how goofy I actually am," Caitlin declared to the hosts and the live audience.
"I think like a lot of my teammates would say that. Like, even like Steph White was saying this the other day. Like people don't realize, like I'm just like comedic relief in the locker room," she continued.
There are countless stories of how unintentionally funny the sports megastar can be. From almost burning their dorm down when she tried to cook mac and cheese without any water to oversleeping on the bus with her collegiate teammate and best friend, Kate Martin, Caitlin brings laughter to any room she's in.
It's also something Sue attested to, saying, "Oh, no. You got jokes in the group chat."
"I'm like sometimes I'm like this MF is a troll," Bird added with a massive smile on her face.
Not everyone gets to see this side of Caitlin
CC admitted that the general audience rarely gets to witness this side of her, as more attention is paid to her killer competitive spirit.
"Once I step on the court, like I'm super fiery and like I want to I want to kill," she admitted. "But every moment other than that, it's like it's not serious. Like, I just have fun. I have a good time."
However, after winning the Commissioner's Cup earlier this month, many saw how raucous Caitlin could get during the Fever's postgame celebration. The highlight, of course, was when she used the trophy to serve alcohol to all her teammates.
Caitlin, though, understands how some people might find it hard to reconcile her two sides, especially when they mostly see her regularly making fools out of opposing defenders and hitting long balls in their faces.
"I feel like that's hard for people to understand. And you know it should be because they only watch us for a couple hours a week," she explained. "Like you only see what we're doing on TV, like doing our job, and you don't see what we do with the rest of our hours of our lives. So I think that's sometimes hard for people to understand."
Clark might seem like a basketball goddess descended from Mount Olympus to dominate the WNBA, but off the court, she's just a down-to-earth 23-year-old. She enjoys spending time with her teammates, sharing laughs and embracing the simple joys of life.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.