Caitlin Clark discusses her rise to fame and reveals the one person who made her feel starstruck

Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark is one of the most popular names in basketball right now, but even she has felt star stuck by other athletes. On Friday, during a podcast appearance with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe at WNBA All-Star Weekend, Clark discussed her rise to fame and revealed the one person who has made her feel starstruck.

"The one person that like really like made me starstruck probably was LeBron [James], because LeBron was the person that I grew up absolutely loving," Clark said on A Touch More Live presented by Delta and Icy Hot. "He was like my Michael Jordan because I was younger and that's the person that I always looked up to. So I'd say him, and Steph [Curry].

"...but I feel like I still have a lot of those moments it doesn't always feel real because, you know, I feel very lucky and fortunate. But there's been a lot of people that I just grew up loving."

The respect is definitely mutual as James, the Lakers star and NBA icon, has publicly praised Clark multiple times, most recently in June when she returned to the court after missing two weeks because of injury.

Clark was ranked No. 4 in the class of 2020 before joining the Iowa Hawkeyes. College basketball fans knew her because of her scoring abilitiesm but she was nowhere near as popular as she is now. However, she does remember rapper Travis Scott posting about her on social media after the Hawkeyes lost to UConn in the 2021 Sweet Sixteen.

"I got back to my phone and everyone was texting me," Clark said. "I'm like, 'yeah, I have no idea why he did that.' I'm like, 'that's super cool."

She added that the turning point for her probably happened her junior year during the 2023 Elite Eight. The Hawkeyes got a 97-83 win over Louisville behind 41 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists from Clark -- which became the first 40-point triple-double in an NCAA tournament game, men's or women's, since assists became an official stat in 1984.

"That was the moment I really felt like things were really starting to change, like the amount of people that took notice that were like celebrities... or other basketball players." Clark said. 

Clark earned the captain title for the year's WNBA All-Star Game after receiving a record-breaking 1,293,536 votes. She was also set to compete in her first 3-point contest, but she had to pull out from the competition because of a groin injury she suffered earlier in the week. While she won't be on the court this weekend, she will still be on the sidelines cheering on Team Clark.

All-Star weekend action begins on Friday with the Skills Challenge and 3-Point Contest at 8 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The All-Star Game is set for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.