WNBA star Caitlin Clark to take questions from Long Island Association

WNBA star point guard Caitlin Clark, of the Indiana Fever, usually handles basketballs on a court. Later this month, she’ll be handling questions in Woodbury from the Long Island Association.

Clark, who Newsday said last year "is well on the way to becoming the richest athlete in the history of women's team sports," is scheduled to participate in a discussion moderated by the association’s president and chief executive, Matt Cohen.

The annual LIA fall luncheon begins at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 29 at the Crest Hollow Country Club with a networking reception, followed by the luncheon and program starting at 11:30 a.m.

Tickets for nonmembers are $600 for an individual, and $500 for members, who can suggest questions ahead of time, Cohen told Newsday.

The event at the association, a business group that dates to 1926, is sponsored by several nonprofits and companies, including Four Leaf Federal Credit Union, Long Island University, PSEG Long Island and Newsday.

Past speakers for the association have included political and national figures — Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Al Gore, Dick Cheney, Hillary Clinton, Nikki Haley, James Comey, Colin Powell and Ben Bernanke — as well as sports stars — Michael Strahan, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jack Nicklaus, Peyton and Eli Manning, Joe Torre and David Beckham.

Clark, 23, will be the association's youngest speaker, Cohen said.

"She is a transformational figure. She's completely elevated the sport. She's a leader. She's relatable. She's young. She's energetic, and I think she'll have a lot to say about leadership and her brand and decision making ... to handling pressure well, to the business community," Cohen said.

The association pays an honorarium to speakers; the amounts aren't public.

The events sometimes make news, including in 2016, when Powell endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton for president and said her then-Republican challenger Donald Trump had sold his supporters "a bill of goods."

Last year's speaker, Mike Pence, drew over 600 attendees, Cohen said.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.