The WNBA’s historic season resumed after a month-long break for the Olympics. This record-setting season, with surging ratings, merchandise sales, and arena sellouts, owes much to the standout performance of Caitlin Clark. Despite some skepticism, Clark is the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year and currently ranks as the third favorite (+8000) for MVP, trailing only A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces(17-9) and Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty (23-4). Speaking of the Liberty, they boast a 9-1 record in their last 10 games and have become the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season with 13 games remaining, solidifying their position as the team to beat.
Clark Throws Shades
In the Indiana Fever’s (13-15) record-setting victory against the Seattle Storm (17-10), Caitlin Clark scored 23 points and dished out nine assists, breaking the WNBA rookie record for most assists in a season with 225, surpassing Ticha Penicheiro. And with 12 games still left to play, Clark shows no signs of slowing down.Following the win, Clark spoke at the post-game conference alongside teammate Lexie Hull, who scored 22 points. When they were asked if they would be buying season tickets for her family, Clark responded, “Those are pretty expensive. It’s like our entire salary to get those. I’m not kidding.” You can also see Hull’s response in the video.
Clark earns a base salary of $76,000 in her rookie WNBA season, while Fever season tickets start at around $1,600. Despite her lucrative eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike, Clark’s comment may have been a subtle jab at the low salaries players receive-a situation likely to change soon given the increased attention the league has garnered this year, along with the recently signed $2.2 billion television deal.
Clark and Fever’s Performance So Far
Since the break, the Fever has secured back-to-back victories by more than 10 points, something they hadn’t achieved all season, indicating that the Olympic break has paid off. They currently sit in seventh place in the league, where the top eight teams make the playoffs. With the struggles of the Wings, Sparks, and Mystics, it’s looking increasingly likely that Indiana will make the postseason for the first time since 2016, even with 12 games left to play.
After yesterday’s win, Clark notched her 11th game-and fourth consecutive one-with 20+ points and 5+ assists. She also leads the league in assists (8.3) and is second in minutes played per game (35.2), while averaging 17.8 points and 5.8 rebounds. Her only “flaw” might be that she leads the WNBA in turnovers, though not all are her fault, and she’s been steadily reducing that number each game. However, she still needs to be more cautious when passing the ball, bearing in mind that in the playoffs these diminshing turnovers are key to a team’s chance of winning.
