Fever players credit Caitlin Clark with popularity surge after record WNBA crowd: ‘We appreciate her for this’

The Indiana Fever closed retired the regular play the aforesaid mode they began it – successful grounds fashion. 

When Caitlin Clark made her WNBA debut against the Connecticut Sun backmost successful May, the matchup acceptable the grounds for the most-watched WNBA crippled successful much than 20 years, with 2.1 cardinal viewers tuning successful to spot the erstwhile Iowa prima instrumentality halfway stage.

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, signs mini basketballs for fans pursuing successful a WNBA hoops crippled against the Dallas Wings successful Indianapolis connected Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

On Thursday night, the Fever acceptable different grounds successful beforehand of a assemblage of 20,711 fans, the largest attendance successful WNBA history.  

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This year’s rookie people acceptable a caller modular for women’s basketball, but Clark led the charge, and her teammates recognized the interaction she has had connected the game. 

"It’s huge," NaLyssa Smith said of the assemblage that attended Thursday’s constrictive nonaccomplishment to the Washington Mystics. 

"This is what we’ve been hoping for forever. It’s amusive to play successful beforehand of these [crowds]. You ne'er get utilized to it. Just ever showing up and playing successful beforehand of sold-out crowds, and I mean, shoutout Caitlin. Shoutout Caitlin, we admit her for this."

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, celebrates aft a three-point handbasket against the Dallas Wings successful the archetypal fractional of a WNBA hoops crippled successful Indianapolis connected Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

CAITLIN CLARK'S FIRST SEASON FINALE IS MOST-ATTENDED WNBA GAME OF ALL TIME, CAPPING OFF HISTORIC SEASON

Fever prima Kelsey Mitchell echoed that sentiment up of the game, adding that Clark’s popularity has fixed mode for "casual" fans to statesman to admit the sport's biggest names. 

"I deliberation the world of it is that I don’t deliberation radical would cognize without [Caitlin Clark]. So, shoutout to Caitlin. That’s conscionable the reality. I deliberation she’s done an unbelievable occupation of bringing evidently her ain fans and the radical that enactment her." 

Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever, left, takes a changeable implicit Natasha Cloud of the Phoenix Mercury during the 2nd fractional astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse connected Aug. 16, 2024 successful Indianapolis. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

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Clark has undoubtedly changed the scenery of the WNBA, but she has besides changed the scenery of the franchise. The Fever clinched the No. 6 effect successful the playoffs earlier this month, making their archetypal postseason quality since 2016.

They statesman their playoff travel with a three-game bid against the Sun opening with Game 1 connected Sunday. 

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