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WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark lived every Swiftie’s dream when Taylor Swift hugged her at a Kansas City Chiefs playoff game—and the moment was a long time coming.
As Caitlin Clark’s fame reached…new heights…during her transition from NCAA scoring-leader to WNBA record-smasher, the 22-year-old athlete was often dubbed the “Taylor Swift of women’s basketball” for her incredible skill, business savvy, and ability to draw record-breaking crowds to her sport. This was a particularly apt title as Clark’s own Swiftie status can be traced back to the early days of Swift’s relationship with a certain Kansas City Chiefs player.
In fact, Clark even wears “22” on her jersey, though the number reportedly references her birthday, not the popular Red track. Honestly, that’s a pretty Taylor Swift move in and of itself (*cough* 1989 *cough*).
Of course, the WNBA Rookie of the Year’s appreciation has not gone unnoticed by Swift, earning her a spot in the VIP tent during the Eras Tour, which is where she met a high profile fan of her own: Travis Kelce.
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It was only a matter of time before Taylor Swift made good on her promise to host Caitlin Clark in Kelce’s suite at Arrowhead—and the perfect opportunity presented itself on January 18, 2025. But what exactly led to that iconic meetup—and will Taylor Swift ever make it to a Indiana Fever game?
Here’s a complete timeline of their budding friendship with the most recent events up top.
January 18, 2025: Caitlin Clark joins Taylor Swift at the Kansas City Chiefs playoff game against the Houston Texans. The pair were seen discussing the game and hugging after a Travis Kelce touchdown.
January 2, 2025: Clark and Kelce discuss the Eras Tour on the New Heights Podcast. “It’s just a great show and a lot of fun,” Clark said of the show, adding that she turned her mom into a “full Swiftie.”
“My mom was like begging me to take her,” Clark said, adding, “She’s like, ‘I gotta go, like, everybody’s talking about it.’ I’m like, ‘OK, OK.’”
When asked to define her “historic” year in two words she replied, “life changing.”
December 10, 2024: Clark discusses her time at the Eras Tour in her Time Athlete of the Year profile. “People are just going crazy that I’m there,” she says. “I thought people would be so in their own world, ready to see Taylor. And it was just completely the opposite.”
Clark also reveals Swift gave her four bags of Eras Tour merch and a personal invitation to a Chiefs game. Swift reportedly wrote that “Trav and I” also plan to attend a Fever game in the future.
November 6, 2024: Travis Kelce gushes about meeting Caitlin Clark at the Eras Tour—as he should. “Saw Caitlin Clark there, got to meet Caitlin. She’s awesome,” he told Jason Kelce during an episode of the New Heights podcast.
“She loves being out there in Indianapolis, says it’s a fun city and we’re both just true Midwesterners to the heart—played high school ball, college ball, pro ball, all out here in the Midwest. It was cool catching up with her,” he continued. “She was into the show for sure. She was there with her mom and a few friends,” Kelce added. “I think this was like her third or fourth show she had been to, she’s a Swiftie through and through.”
November 2, 2024: While attending the Eras Tour for a second night in a row—this time in the VIP tent—Clark jokingly brushes off a hype post by the Indiana Fever. “Busy at eras tour thanks for tag tho,” she replies.
November 1, 2024: Caitlin Clark attends the Eras Tour with her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, and Fever teammate Lexie Hull.
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September 11, 2024: When asked about her divisive Instagram “like,” Clark had this to say:
“I have this amazing platform, so I think the biggest thing would be just to encourage people to register to vote. I think for myself, this is the second time I can vote in an election at age 22. I could vote when I was 18, so I think, do that. That’s the biggest thing I can do with the platform that I have, and that’s the same thing Taylor did. I think continuing to educate yourself with the candidates that we have, the policies that they’re supporting. I think that’s the biggest thing you can do, and that’s what I would recommend to every single person that has that opportunity in our country.”
September 10, 2024: Taylor Swift officially endorses Vice President Kamala Harris following her presidential debate with Donald Trump. Clark liked the Instagram post, sparking backlash among some of her fans.
January 27, 2024: During a basketball game held on Iowa’s Taylor Swift Day, the Iowa Hawkeye social media team shares a bunch of Swift-related tweets about the NCAA scoring leader.
January 25, 2024: The college basketball player shares that her favorite Taylor Swift song is “Enchanted.” While some of her Hawkeye teammates seemed reluctant to express their love of Taylor Swift (or perhaps just didn’t enjoy singing on camera, which is fair), Clark went in on that chorus before shouting, “TAYLOR SWIFT!” She even came back at the end of the video to dance it out to “Our Song.”
January 22, 2024: Clark’s boyfriend references Swift his birthday tribute to Clark, writing, “Happy Birthday 22 🤞🏼🤍 Wish I was there to celebrate with you – you deserve the best day ❤️ Golden Bday / T Swift year will be the best yet.”
Clark replies, “acting like u a T swift fan tho is crazy , but I will let this slide hehe🤍.”
December 25, 2023: Like Taylor Swift, Caitlin Clark attends the Kansas City Chiefs’ Christmas Day game. A few days later, the Iowa Hawkeye player is asked if she met Swift during a post-game press conference. “I didn’t. She was a couple suites away from me, but I did not meet her,” Clark said, adding, “She’s a couple tiers above my level.”
October 17, 2023: Clark reveals she’s a “new Taylor Swift fan” in an interview that’s rife with T-Swift song references. “How do you deal with the fact that everything has changed?” Aliyah Boston asks her future Indiana Fever teammate after handing Clark a “22” friendship bracelet. Honestly, just watch the whole thing.
September 25, 2023: Clark welcomes Swift “to the good side” after the pop star attends her first Kansas City Chiefs game.
June 2023: During a 2025 appearance on the New Heights podcast, Clark reveals she went to one of the Eras Tour concerts held in Minnesota towards the beginning of Swift’s record-breaking tour. “That was a lot of fun,” she says. “I went with some of my college friends and we had a good time together…I don’t know how you couldn’t have a good time.”
This post may be updated.
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