Caitlin Clark's whirlwind tour continued Wednesday when she was officially introduced as a member of the Indiana Fever. The No. 1 overall pick in Monday's 2024 WNBA Draft was welcomed to town in style with a red carpet entrance and greetings from the city's other professional sports stars, including Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Clark then took the stage alongside general manager Lin Dunn and head coach Christie Sides for her introductory press conference, which lasted over half an hour. Here are some key takeaways from Clark's first official appearance with the Fever.
The excitement is real
Clark said she was hoping the Fever would win the No. 1 pick in the lottery, admitting it was a big reason why she decided to forego her remaining year of college eligibility and enter the draft. The early support from Fever fans, who filled Gainsbridge Fieldhouse for a draft watch party, has only made her more enthusiastic about playing for the organization.
"Six thousand people just to stare at a screen and see who gets picked in the draft is pretty incredible, so I expect big numbers this summer," Clark said. "I think people just couldn't be more excited about where this organization is going, the people that are on this roster and the potential, but also just women's basketball in general. People know it's special. People know this draft class was special, the talent level across the board. I think it's going to continue to elevate the league and take it to greater heights."
On a broader scale, she hopes the WNBA and women's basketball continues to receive support from fans and the media to ensure the growth continues.
"I think the biggest thing is continuing to give [the WNBA] an opportunity, continue to attract fans from the college game," Clark said. "I think that's the biggest thing we've seen in college is when people gave it an opportunity and actually watched it, they continued to come back for more. And it's the same thing with the WNBA. When you go and buy a ticket or turn on the TV, you see how good it is. So I think continue to attract fans in, and they're going to see how amazing it is and how skilled these players are and how fun it is to support and watch. So I think that's the biggest thing, and that'll take it to a place a lot of people can't even imagine."
A trip to Paris?
Clark was invited to training camp with the U.S. women's national team in Cleveland earlier this month, but was unable to attend with Iowa participating in the Final Four. Even though she wasn't able to get on the floor with the country's best, the fact that she was invited while still in college tells you all you need to know about her place in the sport.
Whether Clark ends up making the final 12-player roster for the Paris Olympics remains to be seen, and it will likely depend at least in part on how she plays in the first few months of her rookie season. Clark, of course, would love to be involved with Team USA.
"I would love to be on the Olympic team and Paris in 2024, but that's not up to me," Clark said. "That's a dream. ... You grow up watching the Summer Olympics. To me, it's better than the Winter Olympics. I want to be on that team, I want to be an Olympic medalist one day. It'd really just be a dream come true. Everybody knows how competitive women's basketball is in our country, so it'll be hard for really anybody to make that team."
Ready for the pressure
Clark is one of the best perimeter prospects to ever enter the league and has generated untold levels of media coverage. With that comes lofty expectations, both for herself and the team. That is nothing new for Clark, though, who has been playing on the biggest stage for the last two years as she led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship game appearances.
She will be ready for the pressure and is well aware that there may be some stumbling blocks along the way.
"I certainly know there's pressure there," Clark said. "That's been my entire career. But for me, I just have fun playing basketball. I know this a team sport, it's not all about me, it's not everything I have to do. When I've been able to understand that, that's allowed me to play my best, I think.
"I think it's just using your resources, asking questions, knowing not everything is going to be perfect and giving myself a little grace. I'm definitely a perfectionist, but I'm at my best when I allow myself to have a little grace and not expect everything to go exactly as it should, but at the same time that's what allowed me to be so great."
Clark and the Fever will tip-off their season on May 14 vs. the Connecticut Sun, with their home debut to follow on May 16 against reigning MVP Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty.
