Appearing on Saturday Night Live is a dream come true for any American. The day Caitlin Clark did it, she checked off a huge item on her bucket list. A surprise appearance that saw her poking fun at anchor Michael Che, who had just moments before been joking about Iowa retiring CC’s jersey and aprons. The Fever No. 22 was the first women’s basketball player to appear on the show, let alone one who wasn’t even drafted yet. But as fun as it was for audiences, Clark had a wild journey that day.

Reuniting with her former Hawkeyes teammates Gabbie Marshall, Kate Martin, and Jada Gyamfi on the ‘Fresh Tawk with Jada Gyamfi’, the reigning Rookie of the Year spoke about the hectic month that was April. “The trip to New York for the draft, I have zero recollection. I slept two hours, I’ve never felt that way in my life,” Clark explained. The former Hawkeyes guard had been on the other side of the country to receive the Wooden Award for the second year in a row.

In fact, during that period, the Des Moines-born had no time to rest. She had continuously played for the Hawkeyes since September 2023. She was then drafted and right after the one-week training camp, Clark began her rookie season for Indiana.

“I felt awful because I was in LA, I flew from LA in the morning and I flew all the way to New York, landed, went right to SNL, was there. I was like the last skit on SNL…SNL was fun,” she continued. She traded barbs with Che about his comedy skills and women’s sports, ending with making the anchor read blind jokes she wrote.

The third one stole the limelight as Che read, “This year, Caitlin Clark broke the record for three-pointers in a single season and I have three pointers for Michael Che. One, be. Two, funnier. Three, dumba–.”

It was a huge moment for not just the W but women’s sports in general, and Clark has only proven her merit in her first season as a pro. But jokes aside, Michael Che did wish CC good luck for her rookie season even though the trip to the Big Apple was hazy. And perhaps offhandedly acknowledging the debate surrounding whether she would be able to handle the pros, Clark referred to WNBA legends.

Caitlin Clark thanked Sheryl Swoopes and ‘hero’ Maya Moore

For as long as she can remember, Caitlin Clark has been a fan of Maya Moore. Watching the former Minnesota Lynx player live at games was part of what inspired her to play basketball herself. In fact, her very first outing to a WNBA game was for the 4x WNBA champ. And even if Sheryl Swoopes hasn’t always been forthcoming in praise for the ROTY and has more criticism to offer, that day in April, Clark thanked these two women, among other pioneers of the game.

“I’m sure it will be a big first step for me, but it’s just one step for the WNBA thanks to all the great players like Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, the great Dawn Staley, and my basketball hero, Maya Moore,” the Fever rookie said. “These are the women that kicked down the door so I could walk inside. So, I want to thank them tonight for laying the foundation.”

The first season was just the beginning, as were the broken WNBA records. Now whether or not No. 22 plays basketball before April next year is up to her, but her second WNBA season is only going to be better!