Caitlin Clark is going to be a member of the Indiana Fever. It is (all but) official.
The greatest scorer in college basketball history announced last week that she is going to leave Iowa after four seasons. She will not use a fifth year of eligibility.
As soon as Clark declared her intentions for next year, WNBA ticket sales immediately spiked.
The Indiana Fever are going to pick first overall in the upcoming WNBA Draft in April. They are going to select Clark with the No. 1 pick. It is not even a question.
She is going to make a nasty one-two punch with reigning Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston. A franchise that has not made the playoffs since 2016 immediately became a legitimate contender when Clark’s decision to turn pro became official. Boston took them from a five-win team to a 13-win team in 2023, and the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer brings hope for the just second above .500 season in 12 years.
There is a lot of hype around a team that was dead in the water just two years ago. Although the Fever would not disclose the number of tickets it has sold, Clark’s decision correlated to an instant increase.
We’ve seen a lot of enthusiasm online and on social media. The organization has also seen the enthusiasm lead to a spike in ticket inquiries.
— Pacers and Sports Entertainment, via the AP
Indiana averaged just 4,067 fans at home games last season, which was the second-worst attendance in the league. That number could increase three-fold or greater with Caitlin Clark on the roster.
And it’s not only her future team!
The Fever will begin next year in Connecticut against the Sun. Nearly 800 tickets to the season-opener sold after it was announced that Clark (barring a shocking change) will be involved. To put that number in perspective, about 800 individual tickets had been sold prior to that point. Clark doubled it.
We typically have bumps in our ticket sales for league rivals, reigning champions and of course when former Huskies come to town. This may be the first time that a non-UConn player has drawn this type of interest from our fan base. We understand the anticipation is that Caitlin will be on the Indiana roster and it’s amazing to witness the excitement the last 24 hours surrounding her first WNBA game here in Connecticut.
— Connecticut Sun President Jennifer Rizzotti, via the AP
Even Las Vegas, the reigning champions who led the WNBA in attendance last season, sold an additional 300 season tickets after Clark’s announcement. The hype is so real!