When Caitlin Clark turned down the 3-point contest invitation during the 2024 WNBA All-Star weekend, rumors started flying about why she said no. The story that stuck? Clark didn’t want to shoot off a rack.
Fast forward to this year’s All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, and Clark is setting the record straight. She’s not only participating in the contest but also calling out the narrative that suggested she had issues with the rack format.
Why Did Caitlin Clark Really Skip the 2024 3-Point Contest?
The confusion started when Clark explained her decision during her All-Star media availability in 2024. Clark said on July 19, 2024, “Honestly, just rest. I have been playing basketball for, like, a year straight. That’s not an easy thing to just show up to and shoot off a rack. It’s not something I have ever done before. It’s not something I have had a lot of time to practice.”
Those comments about shooting off a rack got twisted into something they weren’t. Clark had been playing basketball nonstop since the college season began in 2023. She led the Iowa Hawkeyes to the national championship final in March 2024, got drafted by the Indiana Fever in April, and started her WNBA career in May. The woman was exhausted.
When it comes to not participating in the 3-point contest, Caitlin Clark says it’s to prioritize rest through the busy weekend: pic.twitter.com/XiHD82UKHD
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) July 19, 2024
In a video posted to X on Tuesday, Clark addressed the speculation head-on. When asked about how shooting off a rack compares to game situations, she didn’t hold back.
She said, “I don’t know how it compares, I have never done it, but I am shooting off a rack and I know there was a narrative going around that I didn’t want to do that at one point, which I am not sure who made that up but that’s false because I am doing it. I was just saving my first 3-point competition for my own city, so whoever said that, that was a lie, but I am not sure if I am going to have any time to practice.”
Caitlin on practicing for the 3 point contest
“I’m shooting off a rack and I know there was a narrative going around that I didn’t wanna do that at one point. Which I’m not sure who made that up but that’s false…whoever said that that was a lie…it’s really not that deep.” pic.twitter.com/6CcZG7OBzA
— correlation (@nosyone4) July 15, 2025
Clark kept it simple about her approach. “I think there’s a practice session, maybe our practice day, on Friday… At the end of the day, it’s really not that deep or that serious, so just go out there and have fun and shoot it, you know it’s just the ball, a hoop, and a rack, I guess,” Clark added. “Just have fun doing it.”
The contest will feature Clark alongside Sonia Citron from the Washington Mystics, Alisha Gray from the Atlanta Dream, Sabrina Ionescu from the New York Liberty, and Kelsey Plum from the Los Angeles Sparks. Gray won the contest in 2024 while Ionescu took home the title in 2023. Both will look to add another 3-point contest victory on Friday.