Thanks to her impact on and off the court, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark was named Time Magazine's Athlete of the Year on Tuesday. Clark is the first WNBA player to receive the award and just the second individual woman athlete, joining 2021 honoree Simone Biles.
The 22-year-old's 2024 resume is extraordinary. Clark wrapped up her NCAA career as Division I's all-time leading scorer, helping Iowa reach a second-straight national championship game.
Since becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark's pro debut included claiming the league's single-season assist record and fueling the Fever to their first playoff berth since 2016. Along the way, she picked up both All-Star honors and the WNBA's Rookie of the Year award.
All eyes on Clark
Clark's on-court skills built a massive following, drawing record viewership and attendance at both the college and professional level. Her ascent into the league helped the WNBA record its most-watched regular season in 24 years.
That surge in fandom has directly contributed to the sport's growth, something venerated South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley acknowledged on the 2024 NCAA Championship podium, saying, "I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport."
More eyes, however, have made the fan-favorite a lightning rod for online discourse, with even minor on-court moments sparking intense national debates.
"I tell people I feel like the most controversial person," Clark says in Time magazine's detailed interview. "But I am not. It's just because of all the storylines that surround me."
While Clark's talent certainly warrants attention, she also acknowledges the role her race plays in commanding the national spotlight.
"I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege," she explains. "A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important.
"I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing."
Ultimately, Clark's 2024 will be remembered as a watershed moment for women's basketball — and women's sports at large. But, as she tells Time, it will also hopefully mark the start of a long and accomplished career.
Three more WNBA teams dropped their head coaches in the last week, leaving more than half of the league's 12 current squads without a sideline manager.
On Monday, the Connecticut Sun announced a reportedly mutual parting of ways with head coach Stephanie White, one day after the Indiana Fever announced the ousting of head coach Christie Sides. The news comes after the Washington Mystics dropped both head coach Eric Thibault and head coach-turned-GM Mike Thibault last Wednesday.
White took Sun to two straight WNBA semifinals
In just two seasons at Connecticut's helm, White led the Sun to two straight WNBA semifinals before ultimately falling to New York in 2023 and Minnesota in 2024.
The 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year departs Connecticut with an impressive 55-25 regular-season record, and is rumored to be the top candidate for Indiana's now-vacant head coach job.
If White does sign on to lead the Fever, it will be a homecoming. The Purdue alum played for the WNBA team from 2000 to 2004, and later spent six years on Indiana's sideline, first as an assistant coach before taking the reins for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Sides led Fever to first WNBA postseason in eight years
In her two seasons at the helm, Sides led the Fever to a 33-47 record, including a impressive 20-20 record this year.
After a 1-8 start through the league's toughest pre-Olympic break schedule, Indiana found its stride, finishing the regular season in sixth place. With a roster that boasts the last two Rookies of the Year, Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, Sides took her 2024 team to the franchise's first WNBA playoffs since 2016.
Fever president of basketball operations Kelly Krauskopf, who called Sides "a resilient leader" and "a culture builder" in a seeming vote of confidence just a few weeks ago, said in a statement on Sunday that it's "imperative that we remain bold and assertive in the pursuit of our goals, which includes maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana."
As for Sides, she addressed her ousting with a simple post on X, saying "Leave it better than you found it."
Between Krauskopf's September hiring, the addition of GM/COO Amber Cox earlier this month, and now the release of Sides, Indiana faces a 2025 season under entirely new leadership.
Washington Mystics show Thibaults the door
Washington's Thibault era has officially come to an end. With the ousting of the father-son leadership pair, the Mystics will face its 2025 campaign without a Thibault pacing the sideline for the first time since 2012.
After 10 years backing his father, Mike, as an assistant, Eric Thibault led the Mystics to a 33-47 record over two seasons as head coach. Washington advanced to the postseason in 2023, falling to New York in the first round. After a 0-12 start this year, the Mystics finished just below the postseason cutoff line in ninth place.
Before handing his head coaching role to his son, Mike Thibault led Washington as a dual coach and GM for 10 seasons. The 2013 WNBA Coach of the Year took the Mystics to eight postseasons and helped earn the franchise's first championship in 2019. He exits as the winningest coach in WNBA history with a 379-289 record over 20 seasons — 10 with Washington and 10 leading Connecticut.
"Coach Mike elevated the Mystics program to its proud status as a league leader in innovation, the standard bearer in player care, and a model franchise," Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger said in a team statement. "His fingerprints are all over this franchise and will be for years to come."
The WNBA's current flood of firings
Of the WNBA's 12 teams, seven have now parted ways with their head coaches. The LA Sparks and Chicago Sky bid adieu to Curt Miller and Teresa Weatherspoon, respectively, in September, with the Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings following suit earlier this month, handing pink slips to Tanisha Wright and Latricia Trammell.
Personnel changes haven't been limited to the sidelines, either. Like Washington, the Las Vegas Aces and Dallas Wings also let their GMs go.
Between head coaches and GMs, only the Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, 2024 runners-up Minnesota Lynx, and reigning champions New York Liberty have maintained their 2024 leadership.
The WNBA announced Thursday that Indiana guard Caitlin Clark is the 2024 Rookie of the Year, giving the Fever back-to-back ROTYs after Aliyah Boston's 2023 win.
Nearly mirroring Boston's unanimous election, Clark garnered 66 of the 67 votes. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, whose season was cut short due to a wrist injury, received the remaining first-place vote.
"I am incredibly honored to be named Rookie of the Year, but more than that, I am grateful to everyone that supported me throughout this past season – my family and friends, my teammates, the Fever organization and everyone that cheered us on all season," Clark said in the Fever's statement. "I am so proud of what we accomplished and so excited for what the future holds."
Clark's rookie season is one for the record books
This year has been all gas, no brakes for the 2024 WNBA Draft's overall No. 1 pick. During the regular season, Clark led all rookies in scoring at 19.2 points per game and topped the league with 8.4 assists per game and with 122 total three-pointers.
In July, the 2024 All-Star became the first rookie in WNBA history to ever put up a triple-double. Not satisfied with that, Clark recorded a second one in early September.
She ultimately inked her name into the league's history books with multiple records, including single-season and single-game assists, and single-season rookie scoring.
In the Fever's first .500 season in eight years, Clark helped Indiana to a 20-20 record after a sputtering 1-8 season start. As a result, the Fever made their first postseason run since 2016.
The franchise also smashed viewership and attendance records thanks in large part to Clark's popularity. Indiana home games ultimately drew over 90,000 more fans than the league's previous home attendance season record, set at 250,565 by the Liberty in 2001.
First-year stars join Clark on WNBA All-Rookie Team
The 2024 All-Rookie Team also dropped on Thursday, with Clark, Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Rickea Jackson, and Leonie Fiebich all getting the nod.
Reese, Clark's biggest ROTY competition before her season-ending injury, claimed records of her own in her abbreviated first campaign. The 2024 All-Star now holds the league's record for consecutive double-doubles, the single-season rebound mark, and boasts the WNBA's highest rebound average in history.
Reese's Chicago teammate, center Cardoso, also put up stunning rookie season numbers, ultimately leading all first-year players with an impressive 52.1% field goal percentage. Meanwhile, forward Jackson made an immediate impact on the Sparks's stat sheet as the team's second leading scorer.
The Liberty's Fiebich is a WNBA rookie, but the 24-year-old German's overseas career already earned her MVP honors in Spain's pro league. Her All-Rookie Team honor is based on Fiebich's regular-season play, but she's still making key contributions in New York's ongoing WNBA postseason run.
Atlanta clinched the eighth and final 2024 WNBA playoff spot on Thursday by handing league-leaders New York a 78-67 home loss on the last night of regular-season play.
In the second of three simultaneous battles for playoff contention, a WNBA-record 20,711 fans showed up in DC to watch the Mystics narrowly defeat Indiana 92-91.
Unfortunately, Washington's season turn-around was too little, too late. The postseason help they needed from Chicago fell through with the Sky's 87-54 blowout loss to Connecticut.
Tina Charles claims two WNBA career records
As if a postseason ticket wasn't enough, Dream center Tina Charles also earned two league records in the win.
Just one month after becoming the WNBA's second all-time leading scorer, Charles surpassed Lynx legend Sylvia Fowles's 4,006 rebounds in Thursday's first quarter to ink herself as the league's all-time rebounds leader. She now has 4,014 career boards and counting.
After putting up 10 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's win, Charles was also crowned the WNBA's career double-double leader. That 194th double-double lifted Charles just above Fowles on the stat sheet.
Reaching those milestones in New York is especially appropriate for Charles, who grew up in Queens and later played six seasons for the Liberty.
"It's special... [and] befitting that she got to break [those] record[s] here in front of friends and family," Dream coach Tanisha Wright noted.
How to watch the 2024 WNBA playoffs
The WNBA postseason tips off on Sunday, when the entire slate of first-round matchups will start their best-of-three series:
- No. 1 New York Liberty hosts No. 8 Atlanta (1 PM ET, ESPN).
- No. 2 Minnesota hosts No. 7 Phoenix (5 PM, ESPN).
- No. 3 Connecticut hosts No. 6 Indiana (3 PM, ABC).
- No. 4 Las Vegas hosts No. 5 Seattle (10 PM, ESPN).
Each series will follow a home-home-away structure. That means higher seeds could sweep at home, avoiding the risk of a decider away. Even so, lower seeds need just one road win for a shot at a major upset.
Set to debut in 2025, WNBA expansion team the Golden State Valkyries are already off to the record-breaking races. On Friday, the league's 13th franchise became the first pro women’s sports team in history to collect more than 17,000 season-ticket deposits.
That record means the Valkyries — who notably don’t have a single player yet — could join the Indiana Fever next season as the only WNBA teams to average over 17,000 fans per home game.
Golden State drops renderings of new Valkyries facilities
The Valkyries also turned heads by releasing plans for their state-of-the-art team facilities last week.
The 6,800-square-foot V-shaped locker room at San Francisco’s Chase Center will feature hot and cold tubs, a training room, staff offices, and a lounge and dining area for players.
Meanwhile, the team's Oakland training center boasts 31,800 square feet of developmental space, including two full courts, 17 total hoops, hot and cold pools, a training room, weight room, locker room, player lounge, and separate family lounge.
Franchise general manager Ohemaa Nyanin commented in the team's statement that “The investment that Golden State has made into both [facilities] underscores this organization’s commitment to excellence. Connecting both sides of the Bay with elite facilities will set the tone for our athletes, coaching staff and medical teams, as we build a roster that will compete for championships.”
Construction is already underway, with both locations set to open by next season.
This weekend's WNBA action will dip into the race for the playoffs, as nine teams vie for just five remaining postseason spots.
New York, Minnesota, and Connecticut have all clinched their playoff berths, but the drive to finish above the postseason line hasn't subsided in the league standings.
Fever vs. Sky game is the WNBA's hottest ticket
All eyes will be on tonight's matchup between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever, as the two teams go head-to-head for the fourth and final time this season.
Indiana currently sits in seventh place with Chicago following in eighth — the table's lowest playoff-bound position. Recent results, however, have separated the two teams by a marked distance, as the Fever have won four of their last five games while the struggling Sky have gone one for six.
Regardless of who wins, the game will go down in front of what's sure to be a packed house, with ticket resale prices averaging in the high-$800s.
Clark, Reese square off in WNBA Rookie of the Year showdown
Tonight's lineup will also feature the final game between the two Rookie of the Year frontrunners: Indiana's Caitlin Clark and Chicago's Angel Reese, who are both trying to push their squads over the finish line.
Clark leads the league in assists and has already broken the record for three-pointers made in a rookie season, while Reese — the current league-leader in rebounds — recently tied Tina Charles's rookie double-double record with 22.
While both have excelled in different areas, the Indiana rookie has the edge over her rival in points per game, with Clark's 18.0 average eclipsing Reese's 13.3.
Other noteworthy WNBA weekend matchups
First-place New York and fifth-place Las Vegas will look to move past their surprise upsets this week in their Friday night games against fourth-place Seattle and ninth-place Atlanta, respectively.
After falling to the Fever on Wednesday, the third-place Connecticut Sun will aim to regain composure against a momentum-fueled Mystics team on a three-game winning streak — their longest this season.
The New York Liberty are now the top team in the WNBA, leading the league with a franchise-best 15-3 start to the season.
Breanna Stewart leads the team in points (19.9), while Jonquel Jones leads in rebounds (8.7), and Sabrina Ionescu in assists (6.4). On Sunday, Ionescu had her fifth career game with 25+ points and 10+ assists.
Meanwhile, Connecticut stumbled over the weekend, suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season. They’re now tied for second in the league with a 13-3 record.
Las Vegas's win over Connecticut began a two-win run for the reigning league champs, who look to regain their rhythm with the return of starting point guard Chelsea Gray. The team also became the first team in WNBA history to sell out all of its regular season home games.
"I do think that the growth is just the beginning," Aces chief operating and chief financial officer Matt Delsen when asked about the surging ticket sales. "And I think that, you know, the viewership can and is going to continue to grow because these athletes are the best in the world at what they do."
On Sunday, the Chicago Sky got the tight 88-87 win over Indiana while Angel Reese posted a career-high 25 points and 16 rebounds in the win. Caitlin Clark was also impressive despite the loss, scoring 17 points and a franchise-record 13 assists, as well as six rebounds and four steals.
"This is what I do: I come out and perform," Reese said after the game. "I do what it takes to win every single day."
A number of celebrities were spotted enjoying the matchup inside Wintrust Arena, including Chance the Rapper, Jason Sudeikis, Sheryl Swoopes, and Knicks star Jalen Brunson.
"It's good for the game, good for women's basketball, but also good for women's sports," Reese said of the buzzy crowd. "You see NBA players, rappers, legends that played in the league for a great long time come out and show support. You know everybody's watching right now.
"I think this is one of the most important times right now, and we just continue to keep putting on. I think both teams tonight did an amazing job putting on a show. It was fun. I had a great time, I'm sure the other team had a great time. I'm just happy we won tonight."
The Indiana Fever got their second win of the season on Saturday, topping the Chicago Sky 71-70 in Indianapolis — but it didn't come without controversy.
In the third quarter, Chicago guard Chennedy Carter committed an away-from-the ball foul on Caitlin Clark that saw Clark tumbling to the ground before an inbound pass. During the game, the officials ruled the contact a common foul and did not review the play.
The following day, the WNBA upgraded the foul to a flagrant-1 violation upon further review. The change in ruling allots Carter one tally in an accrual system that counts towards a future suspension. (Should it have been upgraded during the game, Clark would have been awarded one additional free throw.) The organization determined that Carter will not receive a fine.
Interviewed during the game, Clark called called Carter's actions "not a basketball play."
"I wasn't expecting [the foul]," Clark told reporters in the postgame press conference. "But it's just like, respond, calm down and let your play do the talking, it is what it is. It's a physical game, go make the free throw and then execute on offense. I feel like that's what we did."
Earlier last week, Clark expressed her frustrations over what she views is a double standard when it comes to receiving contact from opponents.
"I feel like I’m just at the point where you accept it and don’t retaliate. Just let them hit you, be what it is, don’t let it get inside your head and know it’s coming," she said. "I think at this point I know I’m going to take a couple of hard shots a game and that’s what it is. I’m trying not to let it bother me and just stay in the game and stay in what’s important because usually it’s the second person that gets caught if you retaliate."
After Saturday's win, Fever coach Christie Sides took to social media to demand the WNBA take action, calling the officiating "unacceptable."
"When will the consistent complaints be heard?!? Something has to be done!" she wrote.
Carter, meanwhile, would not address the foul postgame, telling reporters she would not be answering "any Caitlin Clark questions." However, she later spoke out against Clark on social media, tweeting "beside three point shooting what does she bring to the table."
In response to the scuffle, Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon released a statement on Monday morning saying that she had discussed the incident with her player and that Carter — along with the rest of the team — will learn from the situation.
"As a team, we will grow together and continue to work hard to display strong leadership and set a positive example for our competitors, fans, and partners," Weatherspoon concluded.
2024 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark continues to improve, dropping a professional career-high 30 points in Indiana’s 88-82 loss to Los Angeles on Tuesday.
She also had six assists and five rebounds alongside three steals and three blocks. Clark is the first rookie to record 30 points, three blocks, and three steals in a game in WNBA history. She’s just the fourth player overall to register the stat line.
Clark's 30-point game is also the third-most points by a rookie in Fever history behind Tamika Catchings, who twice scored 32 points in her rookie season. Clark has now become the fastest rookie in league history to record 100 points and 50 assists.
"I think I just played with an aggressive mindset," Clark said after the game. "I think that was the biggest thing — to play downhill the best I could. We did some good things and then we just kind of shot ourselves in the foot."
But even Clark’s numbers weren't enough, as the Fever went on to their seventh out of eight games. However, the team has played eight games in 14 days and there hasn’t been much time to rest. Despite signs of growth since the beginning of the season, Clark recorded seven turnovers — a game high.
"The biggest thing for me is, when I get in there, I still get a little indecisive — and that’s honestly where a lot of my turnovers are still coming from," Clark explained. "Just a little indecision when I do get my feet in the paint, but I think I’ve done a better job of probing and finding people open or finishing at the rim. I think I’ve done a better job as well of understanding who’s guarding me.
"That will continue to get a lot better, [I’ll] continue to take care of the ball a little bit better and find people, not be a little indecisive – I’ve got to make decisions a little bit faster once I do get my feet in the paint."
Down at the half, Indiana fought back to take the lead in the third quarter. But a 28-8 run from Los Angeles left the Fever unable to recover, with the Sparks ultimately prevailing 88-82.
Former Iowa teammates Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin shared the court once again on Saturday, this time as professionals.
It was Martin’s Aces that got the 99-80 win over Clark’s Fever in Las Vegas. The pair's former coaches Lisa Bluder, Jan Jensen, Jenni Fitzgerald, and Raina Harmon were all in attendance to watch their Hawkeyes — Clark, Martin, and former national player of the year Megan Gustafson — take the court.
"It’s super special. It’s cool for our program, cool for Lisa, for Coach Jan, for all of them," Clark said in a pregame press conference. "They’ve known me since I’ve been 13 years old and now I’m 22 getting to live out my dream and they’ve been a huge part of that and helping me get here and helping Megan and Kate to get here too. It’s a great moment for them and I’m sure they’re not complaining about a trip to Vegas."
As for her college teammate, Clark had nothing but good things to say ahead of the showdown.
"I’m just really happy for her and everything Coach [Becky] Hammon says about her is so true," she said. "Every person that played at Iowa and was around her knows that to be true. She’s the ultimate teammate, ultimate person, ultimate leader."
In the end, Martin stole the show with 12 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes, while Clark amassed eight points, seven assists, and five rebounds over 29 minutes of playing time.
"It was weird," Martin admitted after the game. "I'm not going to lie — just looking out on the court and seeing her in a different jersey than me, it was obviously different. But it's really fun. We're both living out our dreams right now."
The Aces next meet the fever on July 2nd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.