Caitlin Clark was a big fan of Minnesota Lynx legend Maya Moore when she was a kid. The Indiana Fever rookie is set to face the Lynx tonight, the same night they will retire Moore’s No. 23 jersey.

Ahead of the game, Clark recalled she saw Moore in her first WNBA game when she was 12.

Clark told reporters her father Brent took her from Des Moines, Iowa, to Minnesota for a Lynx game. They didn’t have tickets for the game and it wasn’t until they arrived at the hotel that Brent decided to buy tickets.

Following the game, she got to see some of the players. That was when Clark was able to get up close and personal with Moore.

“After the game, I got to stay and listen to a Q&A. I didn’t have a Sharpie and obviously, I was at the age where I didn’t have a phone, and I just ran away from my dad, because I wanted to meet the players, and I just ran up to her and I gave her (Moore) a hug.

“There’s no documentation of that moment but obviously, in my brain, that was one of the most pivotal moments of my entire basketball career, and obviously, as a young girl loving sports, that meant the world to me.”

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This wasn’t the only time Caitlin Clark and Maya Moore have met before or after a game. Back in March, the four-time WNBA champion surprised the then-Iowa Hawkeyes superstar, who didn’t hide her excitement to see her childhood idol.

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Maya Moore had high expectations for Caitlin Clark coming into the WNBA

In the same way Caitlin Clark has praised her, Maya Moore had good things to say about the 22-year-old guard who is considered a league-altering player by many. Moore said that Clark is more than stats, as she tries to play the game in a certain way to influence fans.

“How can she change the WNBA? There are so many ways to answer that question,” Moore told USA TODAY Sports. “She is someone, I think, who’s a lot more than stats. She tries to bring that passion and joy to her community. I look forward to seeing how she uses her influence, how she’ll make her community better, her teammates better.”

Caitlin Clark has become a Rookie of the Year candidate with the Indiana Fever. She became the first rookie to post a triple-double in WNBA history and the first player to do so in Fever history.

Entering this Lynx game, Clark is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. She’s shooting 41.2% from the field and 89.3% from the free-throw line.

The Fever are trying to reach the .500 mark (13-15) and tonight’s game presents a good opportunity to get closer.