Her rookie contract with the Indiana Fever is for four years. Her rookie contract with America? That feels more like three.
Caitlin Clark has brought more eyeballs to the WNBA than anyone in history. Her Steph Curry-meets-Magic-Johnson style has been the league’s greatest blessing, and likely played a major role in the seven-figure salaries we’re seeing players earn.
But fandom can be mercurial. In a world with endless entertainment options, folks will go elsewhere if they aren’t satisfied. So does Clark — whose Fever host the Storm today — still have hoop heads hypnotized? For the moment, yes. But if she isn’t elite in Year 3, her popularity is at risk.
The Caitlin Clark hype train truly started rolling four Marches ago in Seattle, when she combined for 72 points in the Sweet 16/Elite Eight at Climate Pledge Arena. One year later, her Iowa Hawkeyes’ national championship game vs. South Carolina outdrew the men’s natty by several million viewers.
Anyone watching could tell you why. Logo threes. No look passes. An And-1 mixtape handle. The country had never seen a player like that at the college level — man or woman.
So it wasn’t surprising that Fever tickets sold out almost instantly when Indiana landed the No. 1 pick in 2024. Just as it wasn’t surprising that road arenas sold out regularly whenever Clark was in town.
And though it took her a few games to find her footing, Caitlin emerged as the league’s top point guard by the end of her first season, making first-team All-WNBA, taking home Rookie of the Year honors and leading the Fever to the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
It’s rare that performance lives up to Himalayan hype. That’s the kind of sphere reserved for the likes of Tiger Woods, Shohei Ohtani and LeBron James, to name a few, but Clark was on her way. Then, last year happened.
Her points per game dropped from 19.2 to 16.5 — namely because she’d forgotten how to shoot. Her field-goal percentage? .367. Her three-point percentage? .279. Caitlin’s once otherworldly ability had become a liability, and though she was still dishing out 8.8 assists per game, she was also committing five-plus turnovers.
No, this didn’t seem to affect ticket sales. Fans in Indiana and beyond continued to fill arenas to their brim. But Clark was clearly experiencing a sophomore slump, and when she went down with a season-ending groin injury after just 13 games, one could feel pixie dust start to wear off.
No doubt Clark’s WNBA career has sparked storylines beyond her productivity. She’d been the recipient of a barrage of hard fouls that many felt was the result of resentment from players jealous of her popularity. There was a rivalry — or at least perceived rivalry — with Angel Reese, which spiked ratings whenever their teams squared off. It wasn’t just sports. It was entertainment. But the linchpin for sustained entertainment is Clark being great.
So is she that? Well, through three games this season, Caitlin is fourth in the WNBA in scoring (25.3 ppg), second in assists (8.0) and Friday, scored 32 points in an overtime loss to the Mystics. And in that game, she hit a last-second three to send the game to OT. On the flip side, she went 10-for-28 shooting — and though she was 7 for 17 from deep, her three-point percentage on the season is .303. Like the Fever’s 1-2 start, that last stat isn’t ideal.
My take? Clark is going to be fine. She does not look like she is hampered by an injury. Her handle and passing ability is still among the best, if not the best in the WNBA. At this point, it’s a matter of her rediscovering her long-distance touch — the skill that made her an A-lister — which seems more likely to happen than not.
This past week, Yahoo! Sports ran a story showing that Clark was second only to Steph Curry for jersey sales among all basketball players. Fans are still behind her, and she has earned that grace.
That said, this feels like the season that Clark has to show that she can play not just at a high level, but an MVP level. It’s her time to show that she cannot just be the best player on a playoff team, but the top dawg on a championship contender.
What has Clark done for women’s basketball? Arguably more than anyone before her. But when it comes to keeping fans engaged, “what have you done for me lately?” is always the more pertinent question
