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Dawn Staley’s Strong Comments on Indiana Fever Amid WNBA Season Surfaces originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The WNBA season is still young, but two teams have already separated themselves from the pack, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down.
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The Minnesota Lynx are off to a scorching 9-0 start and hold a 3.5-game lead over the Phoenix Mercury in the Western Conference.
Over in the East, the New York Liberty are 8-0 and sit three games ahead of the Atlanta Dream.
During a weekend segment on CBS Sports, legendary South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley joined Sarah Kustok and Renee Montgomery to discuss the league’s top teams. While the conversation focused on the Lynx and Liberty, it quickly shifted to the Indiana Fever, and Staley didn’t hold back.
Kustok posed a simple but important question.
“While those two teams have separated themselves in some ways, who do you look at as a team that can challenge them?”
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Staley’s answer was strong and confident.
“A healthy Indiana Fever team. They orchestrated a team that should be able to compete with Minnesota and the New York Liberty. The season is still young.”
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22)Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
When Staley mentions a “healthy Indiana Fever team,” she’s referring to second-year star Caitlin Clark and her current injury. Clark missed the last four games, and there’s still no clear timeline for her return. The Fever have also been without Sophie Cunningham, who’s missed a couple of games this season.
Despite the absences, Staley had high praise for the Lynx and Liberty as well:
“They’ve put together great teams that are unselfish, tough, share the basketball and defend.”
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New York and Minnesota won’t face off during the regular season until July 30 in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, the Fever hosts the Liberty this Saturday, which will be their second meeting of the year. Clark’s injury occurred in the first matchup back on May 24. The Fever and Lynx won’t clash until Aug. 22, with a second meeting set for Aug. 24 in Minnesota.
Related: Caitlin Clark’s Former Teammate Lands New Team After 0 Minutes with Indiana Fever
Related: WNBA’s Historic Announcement Means Bad News for Indiana Fever Star
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
