Basketball fans are pretty obsessed with rituals. We look at numbers and see destiny. When Michael Jordan wore 45 for a hot minute, people lost their minds. When Kobe switched from 8 to 24, it was a whole cultural shift. So, naturally, when a player comes along and basically rewrites the entire record book of college basketball before moving on to dominate the WNBA, people want to know the "why." They want a deep, soulful explanation for why the Caitlin Clark jersey number is 22.
Was it a tribute to a forgotten legend? A mathematical formula for success?
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Honestly? No.
It’s way more basic than that. If you were expecting a story about a childhood vision or a complex numerology breakdown, you’re going to be a little disappointed—but also probably a little charmed by how normal the explanation actually is.
Why 22? The Story You Weren't Expecting
Caitlin Clark has been asked this a million times. During an ESPN interview that’s made the rounds on social media, she finally just laid it out. She wasn't trying to be "creative" or "deep."
She was born on January 22, 2002.
That’s it.
When she was about five years old and starting out in youth sports, she needed a number. She looked at the calendar, saw her birthday, and went with 22. It stuck. From those early days in West Des Moines all the way through her legendary run at the University of Iowa and now with the Indiana Fever, that number has been her shadow.
It’s kind of refreshing, right? In an era where every athlete is a "brand" with a "narrative," the biggest star in the game picked her number because she was a five-year-old who knew when her birthday was. It's the kind of practical, no-nonsense Midwestern logic that has defined a lot of her career.
The Number 22 in the Rafters
While the origin story is simple, what she did with that number is anything but. On February 2, 2025, the University of Iowa did what everyone knew they would: they retired her jersey.
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Standing at center court in a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Clark watched as a white banner with black numerals—22—was hoisted to the rafters. She became only the third woman in the history of the program to have her number retired, joining Megan Gustafson (10) and Michelle Edwards (30).
The timing was poetic, too. On that exact same day, halfway across the country, the South Carolina Gamecocks were retiring A'ja Wilson’s jersey. A'ja also wore 22. It’s a wild coincidence that two of the most influential players to ever pick up a basketball shared the same digits in college and had them honored on the same afternoon.
Breaking Records in 22
When people think of the number 22 now, they don't think of a birthday. They think of the "Logo 3." They think of the stats that seem like they were pulled from a video game:
- 3,951 career points: Making her the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history (passing Pete Maravich).
- 548 made three-pointers: A record that most people thought was untouchable.
- Three-time NCAA scoring leader: Just pure, unadulterated bucket-getting.
The Indiana Fever and the Jersey Mania
When the Indiana Fever took Clark with the #1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, there was zero question about what number she’d wear. She was keeping 22.
What happened next was a literal retail explosion.
Fanatics reported that Clark’s Indiana Fever jersey sold out in less than an hour after she was drafted. Think about that for a second. Within 60 minutes, the stock was gone. She didn't just have the best-selling WNBA jersey; at one point, she was trailing only Steph Curry for the best-selling basketball jersey in the entire country, NBA included.
There was even a viral (though slightly exaggerated) stat going around that she sold more jerseys in a day than the entire Dallas Cowboys roster did in a year. While the "Cowboys" part of that might be some internet hyperbole, the sentiment holds true: the demand for that Caitlin Clark jersey number was unlike anything women’s sports had ever seen.
The One Time She Didn't Wear 22
If you’re a real hawk-eyed fan, you might have noticed something weird during the Team USA training camps and international play. Clark wasn't wearing 22.
She was wearing No. 17.
Why the switch? Did she lose a bet? Nope. FIBA and Olympic rosters often have specific numbering rules, or sometimes a veteran player already has "dibs" on a certain number. In Clark’s case, it was just about the specific jersey pool available for the national team at the time. She’s gone on record saying she’ll always prefer 22, but for the red, white, and blue, she’s willing to be flexible.
What the Number 22 Represents Now
At this point, the number 22 has transcended being just a couple of digits on a mesh tank top. It's a symbol for what people call the "Caitlin Clark Effect."
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When you go to a game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indy, or even when the Fever travel to away arenas, you see a sea of 22s. It’s not just little girls, either. You see grown men, college students, and grandparents all wearing the jersey.
It represents a shift in how we value women’s basketball. It stands for the 18.9 million people who tuned in to watch her final college game. It stands for the 1,000% increase in WNBA merchandise sales that the league saw during her rookie year.
Buying a Caitlin Clark Jersey: What to Know
If you’re looking to grab one of these for yourself, you’ve basically got three main options, and they vary a lot in price and quality:
- The Explorer Edition: This is the standard "Home" white jersey. It's usually the most affordable and easiest to find.
- The Rebel Edition: This is the "Away" or alternative look, often in navy blue with red accents. These tend to look a bit sharper if you’re wearing them out casually.
- The Collector/Hero Versions: Occasionally, Nike drops special editions with higher-quality stitching or commemorative patches. These sell out fast and usually end up on resale sites for double the price.
Pro-tip: Check the sizing carefully. WNBA jerseys are often cut differently than NBA jerseys—sometimes narrower in the waist—so if you're used to buying men's sizes, you might want to size up for a comfortable fit.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
- Verify Authenticity: If you're buying a 22 jersey from a third-party seller (like eBay or a random IG ad), check the "Jock Tag" at the bottom left. Real Nike WNBA jerseys have a specific holographic heat-press tag. If it looks like a cheap sticker, it’s a fake.
- Follow the Schedule: Caitlin and the Fever usually start their season in May. If you want a jersey before the "summer rush" when everything sells out again, buy yours in February or March.
- Visit the Rafters: If you’re ever in Iowa City, take a trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Seeing that number 22 hanging permanently in the air is a pilgrimage every true basketball fan should make at least once.
The number 22 started as a five-year-old's birthday tribute. It ended up becoming the most famous number in the world of women's sports. Not bad for a kid who just thought the calendar looked cool.