"I almost played college" – Caitlin Clark reveals the sport that nearly stole her from basketball - United States News Beep

Before she was breaking records and selling out arenas, Caitlin Clark was a multi-sport standout growing up in Des Moines, Iowa. Rather than steering her toward a single path, her parents, Brent and Anne Clark, encouraged her and her brothers to try everything.

Looking back, Clark believes that freedom played a major role in shaping the player she became. While basketball eventually emerged as her calling, the skills and instincts she developed across multiple sports still show up in her game today.

She played practically every sport, including soccer, softball, track, tennis, volleyball and golf. Soccer was one that she said she excelled at and nearly chose over basketball.

“I love soccer growing up and, like, I probably could have played in college, too. And it was just really hard in the state of Iowa. Like, soccer was during the spring and so was AAU basketball,” Clark shared on the “Post Moves” podcast of WNBA legend Candace Parker and her Indiana Fever teammate Aliyah Boston.

“And I was like leaving for some USA Basketball stuff and I’d missed part of the year of high school soccer and then I’d come back and I just felt like a bad teammate. So eventually I gave it up after my sophomore year. But I loved it. Like it was so fun. I grew up playing club soccer,” she added.

Soccer helped her as a hooper

While Clark chose basketball over soccer, she admits that the foundation she built in soccer translated well into her journey as a hooper. She cited, in particular, foot speed, finding angles and getting to better positions as aiding her abilities as a point guard and making her excel in her role.

“I think the best thing [soccer] did for me obviously was foot speed and also, like, reading angles. There was getting your body in the correct angle, leading people on passes, like putting the ball in the perfect spot where they’re going to run onto,” the 24-year-old do-it-all guard said.

“So, I think that has helped me as a passer, understanding angles and like leading people… And then, obviously, it allowed me to be in really incredible shape for basketball. I loved it. It was so fun. I miss it, but basketball turned out okay,” she continued.

But basketball turned out to be more than “okay” for her, as she became a college legend at the University of Iowa. She finished her collegiate career as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division 1 Basketball, both for men and women, surpassing “Pistol Pete” Maravich.

She also became a huge draw for college basketball, especially in her final two years, when she helped the Hawkeyes reach back-to-back NCAA Women’s Final Four appearances. Clark continues to flourish as a pro with the Fever in the WNBA, where she is widely considered one of the players of note who helped provide renewed interest in the league.

Revisiting golf

Golf is another sport close to Clark’s heart, and she has been able to revisit it while playing in the WNBA.

During the WNBA’s offseason, she finds time to squeeze in some rounds of golf. In fact, back in November, she participated in the pro-am tournament hosted by women’s golf legend Annika Sorenstam in Florida and had a strong showing.

The sport has also been part of the bond she shares with NBA superstar LeBron James, noting that they share similar interests and hope to play some rounds together at some point in the future.

Clark may now be largely known as a basketball player, but obviously, there is more to her than that, enhancing her reputation as an athlete through and through.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“I almost played college” – Caitlin Clark reveals the sport that nearly stole her from basketball

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