Iowa Star Caitlin Clark Appears on Saturday Night Live Ahead of WNBA Draft

NCAA all-time leading scorer joins "Weekend Update" segment

By Michael Ehrlich

Apr 7, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after making a three point basket against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the finals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Apr 7, 2024; Cleveland, OH, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after making a three point basket against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the finals of the Final Four of the womens 2024 NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of the WNBA Draft on Monday night in New York City, Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark stopped by NBC's "Saturday Night Light" to put her comedy skills on display. The expected top pick of the Indiana Fever surprised Michael Che and Colin Jost for their "Weekend Update" segment to combat Che's joke about her Iowa jersey retirement.

Within the four-minute visit, Clark more then held her own on the live comedy show - in her NIL partner Nike bomber jacket - delivering pushback to Che's previous women's sports punchlines and even providing her "own" jokes that she wrote for comedian to read aloud.

Beyond the comedy, Clark used the moment to pay respect to the WNBA greats before her, who paved the way for her and other future stars.

"I'm sure it will be a big first step for me, but it's just one step for the WNBA thanks to all the great players like Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, the great Dawn Staley, and my basketball hero, Maya Moore," Clark said. "These are the women that kicked down the door so I could walk inside. So, I want to thank them tonight for laying the foundation."

To end the night, Clark and her former Iowa teammates Jada Gyamfi, Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin joined episode host Ryan Gosling on stage to close the show.

The Hawkeyes fell in the National Championship game for the second season in a row, this time to undefeated South Carolina in the most-watched women's college basketball game of all time. Clark finished her career as one of the most decorated basketball players ever with back-to-back Player of the Year honors, 3,951 career points and numerous All-American honors.

The 2024 WNBA Draft tips off on Monday at 7:30PM ET live from New York's Brooklyn Academy of Music.