Caitlin Clark just made her Saturday Night Live debut to dunk on Michael Ché.
The SNL comedian has had a lot to say about women’s basketball this season, even during last night’s episode. “University of Iowa announced that basketball star Caitlin Clark will have her jersey retired and replaced with an apron,” he joked before welcoming the record-breaking player on Weekend Update.
After watching a super-cut of Ché’s jokes about the WNBA, the 22-year-old athlete had the 40-year-old comedian read some headlines of her own. I won’t spoil all the jokes, but here’s my favorite: “The Indiana Fever have the first pick in this Monday’s draft—a reminder that Indiana Fever is a WNBA team and not what Michael Ché gave to dozens of women at Purdue University.”
There’s a reason Caitlin Clark is largely predicted to be the WNBA’s number one draft pick this year. In March 2024, Clark became the all-time NCAA scoring leader—male or female—and broke Stephen Curry’s record for most three-pointers in a single NCAA Division-I season.
Not only did Clarke lead the Iowa Hawkeyes to the NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championships two years in a row, but she helped bring millions of eyes to women’s basketball while doing it. According to Nielsen data, at least 18.9 million viewers watched the South Carolina Gamecocks defeat the Iowa Hawkeyes (87-75), making it the “most-watched basketball game—at any level—since 2019.”
“I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said following her team’s victory on April 7. “She carried a heavy load for our sport and it’s just not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the number one pick in the WNBA draft, she’s going to lift up that league up as well.”
During her Saturday Night Live appearance, Clark took the opportunity to thank the women who paved her way, including Staley. “I’m sure [my first pro season] will be a big step for me, but it’s just one step for the WMBA thanks to all the great players like Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, the great Dawn Staley, and my basketball hero, Maya More,” Clark said. “These other women that kicked down the door so I could walk inside. So I want to thank them tonight for laying foundation.”