“Why Not?”: Fever’s Caitlin Clark Embraces the WNBA Challenge Ahead of Debut Against Wings

The Indiana Fever superstar is set to hit the WNBA court for the first time during a preseason-opening matchup against the Dallas Wings on Friday, May 3, at 8 p.m. ET. The game, hosted at College Park Center on the UT-Arlington campus, marks a significant milestone for Clark, the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft less than a month ago.

The anticipation is palpable to see college basketball’s all-time leading scorer in action. The 7,000-seat arena quickly sold out, a rare feat for a WNBA preseason game, underscoring the excitement surrounding Clark’s debut.

Clark shared that she preferred to make her WNBA debut at home, playing in front of Fever fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, but she’s excited nonetheless.

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“I would’ve liked to start at home, but just throw me out into the fire, why not,” Clark told the IndyStar. reporters after the Fever’s morning shootaround. “It’ll be fun, and it’ll be a great crowd, as always,” she added.

The Fever is looking to this game as an opportunity to test new strategies and lineups, and Indiana coach Christie Sides expressed her enthusiasm for the 2024 season’s opportunities.

“This is what we’ve been waiting on. I mean, it’s gonna be fun,” Sides said. “So we’re going to embrace it. I mean, we’re gonna come out here, and we’re gonna, you know, our goal is to be the hardest-playing team in the league.”

Clark is set for her first real WNBA challenge and is prepared for the unexpected. It’ll mark the beginning of her acclimation process to the professional level by taking on external competition after going through her first training camp with her new Fever teammates.

“Obviously, there’s so much you can do in practice, but you become very familiar with what other teams are doing,” Clark said. “They’ll do some stuff that we don’t do. Coming into this game, you can scout and know some things of what they’re going to do, but they’re going to do some new stuff, they’re going to do some different stuff, but I think more than anything, coaches said, ‘Don’t be surprised by anything they do.’”

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Regarding any potential goals in their preseason match, Clark emphasized the need to play hard and as a collective instead of trying to hit any statistical benchmarks.

“I don’t think it’s about numbers,” Clark said. “It’s about the feel on the court. I want to ensure that I leave everything on the court and play with the heart and hustle that I’ve always brought to my game.”

Interestingly, Caitlin Clark will be experiencing this career milestone without her family in the stands, a new reality for the professional athlete. Her family opted to rest after a busy season of travel, but they will be cheering her on from afar.

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“They’ll be watching on TV,” Clark mentioned. “I’m flying solo tonight, and I better get used to it—this is the pros. This is my job.”

The Fever will open the regular season on May 14 in a matchup against the Connecticut Sun. Clark will debut her Fever home against Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty on May 16.