Caitlin Clark is ready for Indiana, and Indiana is obviously ready for Caitlin Clark.
The Indiana Fever’s already famous rookie played her first game in front of the hometown faithful Thursday night, and a record-sized crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis received her.
Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Indiana Fever, autographs after the game against the Atlanta Dream on May 9, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
The announced attendance was 13,028. That might not seem like a lot, and it’s not compared to NBA teams. However, the crowd that showed up to see Caitlin Clark more than tripled the average crowd size of 4,000 that the Fever drew last year.
And again, this was a preseason game. The numbers for a regular season game could and quite possibly be higher.
“It was a lot of fun. I thought they were loud, I thought they were into it. It was fun to see some people in some Iowa stuff and then a lot of people in Fever gear,” Clark said during her postgame press conference.
“This is a preseason game on a Thursday night, and there’s 13,000 people here. I think that just shows what it’s going to be like for us all season, and it’s going to help us. You know, these are going to be games at home that you’re going to need to win. So I’m excited for our home opener. I think it’s going to be a packed house, obviously, versus a really great team.
“It’s pretty incredible, 13,000 at a preseason game is pretty unheard of.”
The record crowd not only got to see Caitlin Clark, they got to see Clark and the Fever get an 83-80 win over Atlanta. The Iowa star struggled during the game, though. She finished with 12 points, 9 boards, and 6 assists. However, she also had 6 turnovers and was a disappointing 4 of 12 from the field and only 2 of 9 from three-point land.
Caitlin Clark, #22 of the Indiana Fever, goes to the basket against the Atlanta Dream during the WNBA preseason game on May 9, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images)
Clark was upfront about her struggles after the game.
“I don’t think I was that effective, honestly. I thought, more than anything, I did a really good job passing the ball… I don’t know. I think I got in the paint. Obviously, I would’ve liked to make a couple more 3s, but sometimes that’s how you shoot it.”
The Fever will start regular season games on the road against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
