The spotlight that Caitlin Clark has occupied for the past year burned as bright as ever for her WNBA debut on Tuesday night in Connecticut. Celebrity fans, another sellout crowd and a national television audience expected to rival the NBA Playoffs were all fixated on the Indiana Fever rookie and first overall pick.
Only for the first time in recent history, Clark — who helped bring women’s basketball into the mainstream during her record-breaking college career at Iowa — fell short.
She didn’t drain any of her trademark 3-pointers from the midfield logo and failed to impress as a playmaker in the 92-71 loss to the Connecticut Sun. Even when things were going well, like when she left Connecticut’s DiJonai Carrington midway through the third period, Clark followed with a bad pass that was easily picked off by Sun forward Brionna Jones.
Her parents, Brent and Anne Nizzi-Clark, looked visibly distraught on the Mohegan Sun Arena scoreboard after watching their daughter blow the whistle for travel — one of 10 costly turnovers in the game.
Clark’s night was ultimately capped by a wide-open three-point attempt that clinked harmlessly off the rim in the game’s final moments, effectively ending any hopes of a comeback. Ultimately, Clark finished with 20 points, but made just 5 of 15 field goals while finishing with just three assists.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts during the first quarter of her WNBA debut
The day started with much more optimism as the visibly excited 22-year-old grew impatient for a tip-off.
“I just want to go out there and play,” she laughed during her pre-match press conference, later admitting that “this is definitely one of the best moments of my life.”
And at first glance, the pros seemed to be as easy as college ball for Clark, who got the biggest crowd reaction of any player on either team during the pregame introductions.
She took Aliyah Boston’s opening tip and, after some deft maneuvering around the Sun defense, handed the ball back to her teammate for an easy bucket and her first assist as a pro.
But Clark’s transition to the WNBA quickly became more difficult over the next few minutes as she missed her first three shots, made two controversial mistakes and was soon benched for all but the final seconds of the first quarter.
And things didn’t get any easier when she returned to the floor, largely due to the suffocating defense of 6-foot-4 All-Star DeWanna Bonner and her defense partner DiJonai Carrington, the latter of whom robbed Clark at center half for a easy fast-break layout.
Clark broke through midway through the second when he stole a bad pass, stormed up court and paused briefly at the three-point arc, stalling defenders, before advancing to the basket for a contested layup.
It may have come a little later than she had hoped, but Clark’s first WNBA basket actually went according to plan.
Caitlin Clark (22) walks across the field after a substitution against the Connecticut Sun
“What I’ve been thinking about is, it would be nice to get a layup as my first basket and why not get a high percentage two?” she asked rhetorically to reporters during her pre-match press conference.
She had to wait until the final minute of the first half for her first 3-pointer, and only after missing her first three attempts from beyond the arc, including one look at the logo.
Clark’s impact is already being felt in the WNBA, where Fever games have become one of the hottest tickets in American sports. In fact, Tuesday’s game marked the Connecticut Sun’s first sold-out opening night since 2003, when throngs of fans in Fever and Iowa Hawkeyes attire packed the casino’s 9,000-seat arena — a venue that averaged just over 6,000 fans per match.
Attendees included New England Patriots players, legendary Connecticut basketball coach Geno Auriemma (who famously failed to recruit Clark) and former Huskies star Jenniffer Rizotti, while the Ying Yang twins provided the halftime entertainment .
Of course, that sort of thing is nothing new for Clark, who has played to big names and sold out crowds during her college career at Iowa while attracting big record television audiences.
Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington (21) fouls Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark
And in that regard, it’s the WNBA that needs to adapt to Clark, not the other way around. She and Boston, a former South Carolina star and No. 1 draft pick in his own right, have been playing in front of national audiences since their teens as the WNBA fought to attract college fans to the pros.
“They were part of those college teams that have those crowds every night,” Fever coach Christie Sides said before the game. “So for them it’s probably not something completely different, but in this arena and for the WNBA, having such a sellout crowd is something we’ve never experienced and it’s so exciting.”
Likewise, last month’s WNBA Draft in Brooklyn was the most watched in the league’s history, and there are other encouraging numbers as well.
For example, according to BetOnline.ag, Tuesday’s Fever-Sun opener was bet on more than any game in WNBA history. Furthermore, the total amount (bet amount) is expected to be greater than that of the playoff game between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Even Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy put $25,000 on the Fever on Tuesday to cover the eight-point spread against the favored Sun — a bet he would ultimately lose.
Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston turns to shoot as Connecticut’s Brionna Jones defends
Clark did lead the Fever in scoring on Tuesday, but that certainly wasn’t intentional.
Before the game, she admitted that there is less pressure to score in the WNBA because she is surrounded by such talented teammates. Clark even held out hope that she wouldn’t have to carry the scoring burden like she did at Iowa, where she set the NCAA record for points.
“I mean, hey, that would be great,” she said.
“I think during my college days it was like I had to do that for my team and I think now that I’m at the professional level it’s like seeing how I can impact the game,” she said when asked about her explain the transition from university. game for the pros.
“Maybe it’s not an assist or it’s not a basket.”
But toward the end of Tuesday’s loss, that comment started to look like wishful thinking.
The Fever, a WNBA bottom feeder in recent years, need Clark to score and dish like she did for the Hawkeyes.