WNBA star Caitlin Clark makes long-awaited home debut for Fever in front of a packed-out crowd in Indiana

Nearly a month after being selected by the Fever with the first pick in the WNBA Draft, Caitlin Clark made her long-awaited home debut for the Indiana Fever.

After unsurprisingly receiving a louder than usual reception at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Clark earned her first professional victory as the Fever won 83-80 over the Atlanta Dream.

Clark impressed her home fans with 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and a block in 32 minutes of play. The former Iowa star did that by shooting 4-for-12 from the field and 2-for-9 from three-point range.

“It was a lot of fun, I thought they were loud, I thought they were into it. It was fun to watch,” Clark said after her home debut. “This is a preseason game on a Thursday night and there are 13,000 people here.

“I think this shows you what it’s going to be like for us throughout the season,” she added. “It’s going to help us.”

The crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse welcomed Clark to her first home game with loud cheers

The crowd certainly made a difference on Thursday while Clark helped the Fever rally from an early double-digit deficit after last week’s opening loss in Dallas.

One girl held a sign that read, “Welcome to Indy Caitlin! -Caitlin M.’

Officially, the attendance was 13,028 – nearly triple the just over 4,000 per game Indiana averaged for its 20 regular-season home games in 2023. Afterwards, Clark found good friend and former college teammate Gabbie Marshall and the two recorded together on the photo.

Most fans came to watch Clark — even for a rescheduled game.

Indiana was initially scheduled to play Friday, but moved the game when the NBA announced the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks would play Game 3 of their best-of-seven series in that time slot.

For Clark, the WNBA’s overall No. 1 draft pick, it’s been a quick transition from playing college ball a month ago to the professional style. And this game didn’t come with as much pomp and circumstance as could have been expected.

Clark calmly and focused went through the pre-match warm-up as the music blared and the stands filled. But once the game started, Clark & ​​Co. all things.

“Honestly, I don’t think I was that effective,” Clark said. ‘I mainly thought that I could pass the ball very well and find my teammates. Of course I would have liked to make a few more threes, but sometimes that’s how you do it.”

Clark countered her scoring with eight rebounds, six assists and a block in 32 minutes of play

Clark scored 21 points in their previous preseason game, a 79-76 loss to Dallas on the road

The fault did not fall entirely on Clark’s shoulders.

Opponents are obviously intent on slowing down the leading scorer in NCAA Division I history. Atlanta’s trick was to challenge Clark with tough closeouts, multiple defenders forcing the ball out of her hands and physical play designed to dislodge Clark.

The result: Clark struggled early as the Fever fell behind, and her teammates struggled to convert her sharp passes into points. But they also got a taste of what this season could be.

“She increases the tempo for us, she gets the ball where it needs to be. When you run the floor, you have to look up because the ball is coming,” said Nalyssa Smith, who had a game-high 21 points. “She can spread the floor, anyone can score and she wants to pass the ball.”

Through it all, Clark was both a big hit and a welcome change for a franchise looking for a turnaround. She has generated more interest and attention in women’s basketball than most of her predecessors, giving her a platform that few others possess and she is taking full advantage of it.

Her presence, along with others in perhaps the most heralded rookie class in WNBA history, prompted league commissioner Cathy Engelbert to announce earlier this week that she is set to spending $50 million on charter flights over the next two seasons.

The Fever selected Clark with the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft in April

Clark took the world by storm during her years at Iowa and is expected to help the WNBA grow

In the meantime, the curiosity surrounding Clark some opponents are moving games to larger venues to accommodate ticket sales and a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2016 will now have 36 of its 40 regular season games on national television.

For Clark, playing in front of a packed arena has become the norm. For her teammates and coaches, this could be the start of something bigger than they could have imagined. Especially when it comes to a generational type of player like Clark, who has fully embraced her new hometown.

“To me, this is the best part of it,” Clark said. ‘You have to go out and compete every night and if one night is not good for us you have the chance to come back a few days later and respond. I think this group will be ready (for the regular season) and everyone is excited.”