Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark earned another accolade Tuesday as Time Magazine’s “Athlete of the Year,” and the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year reflected on the myriad narratives formed around her throughout 2024, including missing out on being selected to the U.S women’s Olympic basketball team this past summer.

In a wide-ranging interview with Time, Clark said she told now-former Fever head coach Christie Sides that not making the team “woke a monster” and that it “will definitely motivate me my entire career.”

Clark also acknowledged the debate that raged around her, which was less about her on-court ability and more about how her marketability could have drawn attention to the already-dominant Olympic team.

“I don’t want to be there because I’m somebody that can bring attention,” Clark told Time. “I love that for the game of women’s basketball. But at the same time, I want to be there because they think I’m good enough. I don’t want to be some little person that is kind of dragged around for people to cheer about and only watch because I’m sitting on the bench.”

Although she briefly commented on not being selected at the time, the discourse extended well into the national team’s preparation for Paris, much of it with the same toxicity that engulfed the Fever’s games against the Chicago Sky in the first half of the season. Team USA, meanwhile, proceeded to win its eighth straight Olympic gold medal.

Clark also addressed her decision to pass on joiniing Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league launched by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier that will begin play in January, saying this wasn’t the year to add more basketball to her schedule. “It’s going to be good for me to do my own thing and have my own space,” Clark said. “I kind of want to just stay out of the spotlight.”

The desire for space is understandable, considering the massive demand for all things Caitlin Clark. Her presence not only led to the WNBA’s best viewership in two decades but new attendance and merchandise records. Golf Channel’s live coverage of her recent middling pro-am appearance mirrored that of Tiger Woods’ heyday. FC Cincinnati’s decision to include Clark in its bid for an NWSL franchise was certainly buoyed by her stardom.

Speaking of star power, Clark’s play not only brought a whole legion of fans to the WNBA, but it sparked a friendship with music megastar Taylor Swift. Clark attended two of the three shows in Indianapolis when Swift’s landmark “Eras Tour” came to the city in November. In a note to Clark, as detailed by Time, Swift said “Trav (Travis Kelce) and I” plan on attending a Fever game and invited Clark to a Kansas City Chiefs game. Should both moments happen, the crossover might break the internet.