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Michael Voepel
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark was the WNBA’s rookie of the year and named to the all-league first team in 2024. But the launch of her pro career was — as expected — a challenge, with many observers scrutinizing every move of the No. 1 pick, whose Fever began the season 1-8 but recovered to finish 20-20 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Those first few weeks were hard to get through, but Clark did it.
This season, as she and the Fever open at home against the Chicago Sky on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, ABC), Clark understandably feels much more comfortable.
“Honestly, I don’t even really remember last year’s [opener],” a smiling Clark said about the Fever’s 92-71 loss at Connecticut, in which she had 20 points and 10 turnovers. “Maybe that’s a good thing. I think [this year] it’s just going out there and having fun and being confident. I’ve been in this league for a year now. I know I belong. I know I can perform, and I can make my teammates better every single night. And that’s my job.
“Not everything’s gonna be perfect. Give yourself grace. There’s gonna be really good moments. There’s gonna be moments where you struggle. So just trying to stay as neutral as I can and stay positive. But … I’ve been in these moments before, and I’m ready for them.”
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Clark led the WNBA in assists (8.4 per game) and 3-pointers (122) last season while averaging 19.2 points and 5.7 rebounds. The Fever were swept by the Sun in the first round, but just getting back to the postseason was a major step for the franchise.
There is a lot for Clark, 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston and the Fever — under new coach Stephanie White, in her second stint in Indiana — to build on for 2025.
Clark said that upon reflection, her first year in the WNBA was not unlike being a freshman in high school and then in college.
“You show up in a new chapter of your life. You’re trying to prove to yourself — to everybody — that you belong, and you’re trying to find your way,” she said. “When you come into your second season … you know what the coach expects of you, you know your teammates, you know how things operate. You just have a different sense of confidence about you.”
The Fever went 3-1 against the Sky last season. The geographic closeness of the franchises, and Chicago having its own rookie standouts in Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, lit a fire under the rivalry.
Saturday is the first of five meetings between the Fever and Sky in the 44-game regular season, as they face off once each month from May-September.
“Rivalries are real, and that’s what makes sports so amazing,” Clark said. “There’s certain teams that those games just mean a little bit more. [We] come out here and play the same way every night, but [a rivalry] gets the fans involved, and they love it.”
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