Caitlin Clark is no stranger to the spotlight.
At practically every stop along her basketball journey, the Indiana Fever star been saddled with immense expectations.
Clark became the face of college basketball during her time at Iowa, ushering the Hawkeyes to three consecutive Big Ten championships — two more than they’d won in the 18 years prior to her arrival — and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA title game. In addition to those team accolades, Clark was also a two-time AP Player of the Year, four-time All-American and broke the NCAA’s all-time Division I scoring record, surpassing Pete Maravich.
Then as a rookie in the WNBA, Clark averaged 19.2 points, set the single-season record for assists and was named an all-star. The former No. 1 overall pick also placed fourth in MVP voting.
While those accomplishments have led to increased scrutiny and attention, Clark has proven adept at handling the noise.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, the Indiana Fever star said she wouldn’t want it any other way.
“There’s always expectations and pressure to perform,” Clark said. “At the end of the day, we play basketball because we love it and we’ve done it all our life. … We understand the spotlight. We understand people expect this team to win, and that’s exactly what we want to do for our fans and for this organization.”
Clark Embracing Championship-or-Bust Expectations
Indeed, Clark is not backing down from expectations. Instead, ahead of her second professional season, she is attacking them full throttle.
At the team’s media day last week, Clark was asked how she plans to measure success this season.
“A championship,” she boldly stated.
Indiana has one exhibition game remaining — Saturday at the Atlanta Dream — before tipping off the regular season on May 17 against the Chicago
Sky at home. Clark made her preseason debut last Sunday against the Brazilian National Team, recording 16 points, six rebounds and five assists over 19 minutes in a 108-44 win at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Following a 20-20 season in which they made their first playoff appearance since 2016, the Fever are widely expected to take another big step forward in 2025. In fact, BetMGM Sportsbook lists them at +300 to win it all, the third-highest odds behind the WNBA’s last two champions, the
New York Liberty (+225) and Las Vegas Aces (+275).
The Fever revamped their roster this offseason, signing championship-tested veterans DeWanna Bonner, Natasha Howard and Sydney Colson. They also traded for Sophie Cunningham and brought back Stephanie White for her second coaching stint with the franchise. This was in addition to already having a pair of multi-time all-stars in Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell.
Those moves have only ratcheted up the pressure on the Fever. Fortunately for them, Clark sounds ready to embrace what lies ahead.
“Me personally, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Clark said. “We get to show up every single night and there’s people cheering for us, and you get to play the game you love. If there is that pressure … it’s just something you embrace. That’s what I’ve always tried to remind myself over the course of my career.”
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