Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever teammate opened up about how the rookie ignores her critics.
Clark’s rookie campaign has been a huge success, as the No. 1 overall pick in April’s WNBA Draft has moved the needle in women’s basketball. In addition to breaking records on the court, the former Iowa star has inspired a spike in television ratings across the league.
With the magnitude of her success, it’s no surprise that Clark has her fair share of critics. Speaking to the media, Fever veteran Erica Wheeler revealed how Clark deals with the spotlight and how they help her as teammates.
“All we do is have fun with Caitlin Clark, we never take anything seriously,” Wheeler said. “I tell people all the time that she’s still a kid at heart. And Christie [Sides] and the coaching staff, they make sure we have fun.
“There are times when we have to be serious and we are. But most of the time we’re having fun. The outside world was really trying to get into this building, but we didn’t let it.”
Caitlin Clark’s teammates revealed how the WNBA rookie sensation ignores her critics
With her popularity growing, Clark has led the Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Despite early struggles, Clark’s scoring prowess has translated well from college to the professional ranks. With a 35-point performance in a blowout win over the Dallas Wings on Sept. 15, Clark broke the WNBA record for rookie scorers.
With one game left in the season, Clark is eighth in the league’s top scorer list with 761 points.
Clark also broke the record for most assists in a season, set last season by Alyssa Thomas, with 329 assists this season.
With averages of 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals, Clark is the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award.
The Fever are 20-19, third in the Eastern Conference and sixth overall, and will close their season on Thursday, September 19, when they visit the Washington Mystics.