Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
Despite so much noise around them this season, the Fever have powered through and are now winning games.
INDIANAPOLIS — Even Caitlin Clark had to laugh at the newest edition to downtown Indianapolis.
In a city not known for its scenic skyline, one of the few buildings classified as a skyscraper would be the JW Marriot. The 376-foot-tall glass building sits just a few blocks from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Fever play their home games.
The building’s size and location has made it a perfect canvas throughout the years for many a display. When Indianapolis hosted the Super Bowl in 2012, a 32-story Vince Lombardi trophy was plastered on the side. Three years later, when the city hosted the Final Four, a 47,000-square-foot bracket became the largest bracket ever created when it was placed on the hotel’s exterior.
Now, staring across downtown Indianapolis? Caitlin Clark herself, thanks to Gatorade.
“I don’t know if I’d say I’m used to it,” Clark — who said she could see the ad from her apartment balcony — replied with a laugh when asked about the billboard on Friday before the Fever’s game against the Mercury. “I mean, you’re driving down the street and it kind of takes you back for a second. It’s super cool to be in a city that supports the Fever and our whole organization…But I don’t know if that’s really ever something you got to get used to, seeing your face that large, on a building that large.”
It’s the latest example of the vortex of attention the Fever have been sucked into this season. The spotlight has been for reasons ranging from good, to bad, to desired and sometimes even unwanted, sometimes all at once. But the one consistent thing is that it’s always been overwhelmingly bright.
It’s been sold-out arenas, record-breaking TV audiences and massive Gatorade ads. It’s also been wave after wave of criticism, critiques and comments across every social media platform, making it virtually inescapable.
From the moment Clark was selected No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, all eyes shifted to Indianapolis. Any franchise would have struggled with the volume of attention that comes with having Clark on the roster, and the Fever were no different.
The league also did them few favors to start the year, as Indiana bounced from big market to big market, matched up against the league’s best teams over and over again in the opening weeks. It was a schedule almost unprecedented in its difficulty.
While the Fever were focused on simply making it out to the other side internally, the same grace wasn’t afforded to them externally. A 2-9 start brought criticism directed at seemingly everyone, even forcing center Aliyah Boston to delete Twitter from her phone.
“I don’t get on social media very much,” head coach Christie Sides said prior to Indiana’s recent game against the Mystics. “I don’t know if I would be sitting here today had I read all that earlier…The players are getting it. If they don’t think they’ve played a good game, they feel like ‘Oh I’m going to get killed [on social media]’ and I just can’t even wrap my head around that because that’s just not the world I’m from.
“You try to tell them to quiet the noise, or just tune out the noise, but this is the world we live in today.”
Tuning out the noise has felt like a fool’s errand at times this year, though. The Fever have not been a team looking to escalate issues on or off the court, but that has mattered little as to whether the mole-hill stories morphed into mountains.
When Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky committed a flagrant foul on Clark early in the season, it became a national debate, Clark acknowledged that it “wasn’t a basketball play” on the floor following the game but did nothing more to escalate things, repeatedly stating “it is what it is” postgame.
When the debates took a more serious, off-court turn and became about race, Clark was almost too deferential on the matter before finding a solid middle ground. And when Clark was on the receiving end of a flagrant foul from Angel Reese, she called it “part of basketball.”
Every step of the way, the Fever have tried to quiet the noise and keep their focus on the basketball court. And every step of the way, the noise has continued nonetheless.
Time and time again, Clark has found herself in the middle of debates she never asked to be a part of, something she acknowledged has been difficult.
“I feel like I’ve had to grow up pretty fast,” Clark said before a game against the Sky in mid-June. “Like, I’m only 22 years old. I feel younger than that at times, and I’m trying to navigate moving to a new city by myself. I’m trying to navigate playing in a new league on top of everything else that has come with it. Obviously, I’ve been given a lot of amazing things in my life and that comes with great responsibility and that’s not anything I shy away from, but I think mental health is very important, and I think it’s something a lot of people in our country struggle with, especially young individuals.
“I think the biggest thing is don’t be afraid to ask for help. I can’t accomplish everything in my life. Like, I’m not afraid to ask for help and tell people, ‘Today’s just not my day’ and that’s ok. Not every day has to be perfect. There’s people around you that are always going to support you and be there for you,” Clark continued. “When you’re in the spotlight and people see your every move, it can be taxing.”
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
But as the Fever have attempted to navigate the noise, something notable has also been happening; sometimes, seemingly almost entirely in the background of the national discourse about them: They’re winning games.
After two wins in their first 11 games, Indiana has gone 8-5, including a notable home win over the New York Liberty. They’ve played their way into the playoffs as the current No. 7 seed.
After winning just 13 games last season, the Fever have already won 10 this year. Over the last month, they are fifth in the league in offensive rating and sixth in net rating.
Clark currently has a streak of five straight double-doubles with points and assists, one game shy of the league record. She’s averaging 20.3 points and 12.5 assists in July and is second in the league in assists for the season. She became the first rookie to record a triple-double in a win over the Liberty and nearly pulled off a 5×5 stat line against the Mystics, finishing with 29 points, 13 assists, five rebounds, five steals and three blocks.
Boston picked up Player of the Week honors in June and has turned her season around after a slow start as well, averaging 17 points and 10.2 rebounds over the last month.
It’s neither Clark nor Boston that leads the team in scoring in that span, though, as the team’s third All-Star, Kelsey Mitchell, is averaging 19.5 points on 50% shooting from the field.
Together, the trio is blossoming into one of the best in the league this season. Each rank in the top-15 in scoring in the league over the last month, a feat matched only by the Las Vegas Aces (A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum).
Now, the attention coming their way doesn’t feel as loud or negative. Clark is aware that all eyes are going to be on her and the Fever and while it can be both good and bad, it’s ultimately something she wouldn’t have any other way.
Even if it means she can’t do things a normal person can at times, even if it means fans will flock to her and her teammates while out at dinner and even if it means she’s going to be the center of so much discourse during her career, Clark welcomes the attention.
“It’s not anything I would ever want to change,” Clark said. “It’s something that’s super special… It’s cool to see the excitement in our community of how many people support us and not only here in Indianapolis but, when we’re on the road, too.
“I still feel like a young kid that loves just basketball and loves the game and loves being around people, and my teammates, and my friends and family, and that’s how I try to go about my life, honestly.”
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
