Time named Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark its "Athlete of the Year" for 2024.

Clark had a debut season to remember. She was the WNBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists while helping lead the Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

The 22-year-old also set a number of team and league records while earning All-Star and first-team All-WNBA honors.

Not to mention, Clark spent the first half of 2024 wrapping up her legendary career at Iowa. The Hawkeyes were the runners-up in the NCAA tournament for the second successive season, with the dynamic guard winning every major national player of the year award.

Getting named "Athlete of the Year" by Time is both a reflection of what Clark did on the court along with her impact on women's basketball as a whole.

The sport has been riding a wave for years now. Thanks in part to Clark, the momentum has crested in a big way.

The 2024 Final Four smashed viewership records. Iowa's semifinal and national championship games drew 14.4 million and 18.9 million viewers respectively. The trend carried over to the WNBA, which saw its television ratings and attendances spike.

Clark shouldered higher expectations than perhaps any rookie in WNBA history, and she managed to somehow exceed them. Fans are already waiting to see what she has as a follow-up in 2025.