Once you reach superstar status, it’s only natural that people want to dig up everything about you—stories, photos, anything that captures the early moments of greatness. When it comes to Caitlin Clark, it’s no different. Remember the widely shared childhood photo of lifelong fan Clark cheering the Kansas City Chiefs as she entered her second Final Four? The picture reached thousands. We see the phenom again as a picture of young Caitlin surfaces on the internet.

This photo was captioned by one fan as “This bob cut they had on CC as a child is diabolical 😂😂😂.” For those who know her today as Iowa’s pride and one of WNBA’s rising stars, this unexpected glimpse into her childhood is more than just a throwback; it’s a reminder of her roots.

Coming from Des Moines, Clark didn’t just happen upon her love for basketball—it’s in the air she breathes. Iowa has a strong basketball legacy, with legends like Harrison Barnes, Fred Hoiberg, “Machine Gun” Molly Bolin, and Nick Collison calling the state home. Her dad, Brent Clark, who played both basketball and baseball, knows just how deep those roots go. “When I was in elementary school, it was the thing to go to the girls’ state basketball tournament. There was a bracket on every school teacher’s door… This culture of support, it’s sorta ingrained in the state of Iowa,” he shared.

But while she grew within this strong tradition, CC was no stranger to fighting her own battles on the court. As her grandfather fondly recalls, five-year-old Caitlin once fearlessly faced off with a much bigger boy in her youth league. 

With her dad as her coach, the 2024 ROTY was on the verge of tears from this kid’s constant rough play. But after a quick break, she stormed back onto the court, not to score, but to teach him a lesson. She sent him rolling out of bounds and stood over him as if to say, “Mess with me, and that’s what you get.” Her grandparents knew right then that she was something special. Clark’s fearlessness as a kid has obviously grown with her, helping her shatter records as a rookie for the Indiana Fever. 

Yet even with her achievements, fans are still finding plenty of joy in this nostalgic picture. Their reactions to her childhood photo are priceless.

Fans go wild over Caitlin Clark’s throwback picture

Before she was breaking records in the WNBA, before she was shining for the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark was just a core Iowa kid. And midwesterners never leave a chance to remind us, ‘it’s their thing.’ As one fan chimed in, “If you grew up in Iowa, you had 2-3 bad haircuts. I don’t make the rules,” establishing Clark as a true Iowan.

Then there was this sarcastic comment that said, “No wonder she’s so tough mentally.” Undoubtedly, the hooper has shown resilience, but fans believe getting through this haircut was her toughest battle. At the same time, plenty of fans are melting over the childhood photo.

The section is filled with comments like, “Cutie,” “She looks cute lol” and “it’s just precious.” Also, here’s a fan writing, “Who ever thought that this little munchkin was going to grow to be a GOAT in the world of sports?” With her countless WNBA records, like breaking assist records, leading scoring charts, and pulling off All-Star nominations, CC has been a force. 

Although she set the bar high, it seems like her family always knew she was destined to be a great as her grandfather shared, “She’s a five-year-old little girl, and that is when her grandmother and I looked at each other and said, ‘she’s going to be really something.’ She did prove them right.

The throwback picture also had a fan jokingly comparing her with a character penning, “and she still looks like Screech,” with a collage of both. On or off the court, Clark’s popularity has indeed kept fans entertained.