Caitlin Clark Reveals Meaning Behind 4 Jersey Numbers on First Children's Book

Caitlin Clark explained the four jersey numbers on the cover of her first children's book during an appearance on NBC's TODAY on Tuesday, the day the book was released.

"EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams" is a 32-page rhyming picture book published by Random House Books for Young Readers and illustrated by Adriana Predoi, a London-based artist who grew up in Romania and studied mural art in high school before earning a fine arts degree. It is Clark's first book. The publisher announced the book April 28 and lists it for ages 4 to 8. Random House Books for Young Readers is an imprint of Penguin Random House.

The cover shows children in jerseys numbered 22, 6, 11, and 17. Clark has worn 22 with the Indiana Fever and at Iowa, and the other three numbers on the cover belong to her father, her high school career, and a Team USA tryout.

"Obviously the 22, the person scoring the basketball, and then there's six, which is my dad's number in college," Clark said. "And then there's 11, which people oftentimes don't know. I actually wore 11 in high school. People think I wore 22 because whatever."

"And then 17, I think at the time when I was writing the book, I was trying out for Team USA as well, and my tryout number was 17," Clark continued. "So I threw that in there. So a little Easter egg, which was really fun."

Her father, Brent Clark, was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and baseball at Simpson College in Iowa from 1985 to 1988. He was also her first basketball coach.

Clark played high school basketball at Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines, where her grandfather, Bob Nizzi, coached football. At Iowa, she set the NCAA Division I career scoring record and played in back-to-back national championship games.

In March, Clark played for the United States at the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament. She averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists in 5 games there.

The book's title comes from an inscription above a mirror in Clark's childhood bedroom: "The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little EXTRA."

Her parents had the mirror made before she was born, and it is still in her childhood home.

"I think it's a very personal story, so that's why it was so fun to write and see it come to life," Clark explained. "I had this mirror that my parents had made when I was, before I was even born, and my parents still have it in my childhood [home]. I think it's just all about doing a little extra to reach your dreams and your goals."

"And I feel like that's kind of a testament to not only my life, but obviously my professional career as well, playing basketball," Clark added. "So it's fun getting to share the story with everybody."

Clark, 24, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. This season she was voted an All-Star starter for the third time in three seasons, and the Fever went 28-16 before losing to the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs.

Three days before the book came out, Clark spent part of Halloween scaring trick-or-treaters, and no one recognized her.

"I felt bad," Clark said. "I had to stop scaring the super young kids because they would cry, and then they wouldn't take candy. So I would have to beg them to come back. But the older kids, I did get good."

When the book was announced in April, Clark said in a statement that she hoped it would remind kids they are never alone in chasing their dreams. She founded the Caitlin Clark Foundation, which works with youth on nutrition, education, and sport.

"EXTRAordinary!" carries a list price of $19.99, and Penguin Random House is also releasing it as an audiobook.