A player might just need a moment to get the motivation to perform on the floor. It could be encouraging words from the coach, a buzzer-beater, or even a block that won the game. For Raven Johnson, it was ‘disrespect’ from Caitlin Clark that charged her up.
Johnson is one of the top prospects from the 2026 WNBA Draft class, and recent mock drafts show franchises picking the South Carolina star in the first round. While her recent scoring surge certainly helped her to reach the higher draft number, the story behind it starts during her freshman year with disrespect from Clark.
Raven Johnson Fired Up After Caitlin Clark’s Wave Off
The 2023 NCAA Tournament was in full flow, and South Carolina was up against the top-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes. Led by the prolific scorer, the Hawkeyes were in control of the game, and during one possession, CC refused to defend freshman Johnson on the three-point line.
While her wave-off went viral at the time, it impacted Johnson’s game.
In a recent interview, the 22-year-old spoke about coming off adversities, and that moment was right at the top. She said, “That’s one reason I hate the internet now. Because of that situation, like I got bashed, I got bullied, I got called all these things that I wasn’t. I wanted to quit basketball at that time. And I wanted to go into this bubble, like isolation and be by myself. I leaned on god, I had some wonderful teammates, wonderful people in my life, as I said.”
Talk about adding fuel to the fire…
— I AM ATHLETE (@IAMATHLETEpod) March 28, 2026
In 2023 Raven Johnson went VIRAL for being waved off by Caitlin Clark at the 3 point line 🤯
Raven told us how that moment came full circle 😤‼️ pic.twitter.com/HFCMaNnOlp
“They helped me find that light, and they put so much fuel to the fire to back next season, and we were undefeated and met that team again, and we beat them. So it was all God’s plan.”
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While the guard credited her teammates and people around her to fire her up, A’ja Wilson also praised her resilience while showing love for the emerging star.
Raven Johnson’s Defense On Caitlin Clark Led South Carolina To NCAA Championship
As the player explained, CC’s wave-off helped her to work more on her game and be the best version of herself. Her moment came in the 2024 NCAA Finals, with the Fever guard playing her final game and having the last chance to win a national championship.
In the first quarter, Clark scored a record-setting 18 points to help the Iowa side take a double-digit lead. But from the second quarter, Dawn Staley put Johnson on the Hawkeyes’ playmaker, which changed the game. For the next three quarters, Johnson allowed just 12 points off CC’s hands, leaving the Iowa offence crippled and helping her side win the final game 87-75.
Johnson said in the post-game interview. “I studied her moves, and I was ready. I had confidence this year, and I was telling myself, last year was not going to happen again.” In the Rocket Mortgage Arena, she also exclaimed, “All I have to say is the revenge tour is over!”
So when anybody doubted Johnson’s caliber at the WNBA level. Dawn Staley had simple words for them: “They Don’t Understand the Game!”