Fans lined up outside Carver-Hawkeye Arena hours before the Indiana Fever battled the Brazilian National Team in a preseason matchup. The game marked the first time former Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark returned to Iowa City as a player.
Clark returned to Iowa City after lighting the WNBA on fire during her rookie campaign. After being selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever, Clark shattered records en route to earning the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.
As she was shattering records, Clark was also selling out arenas. During Fever home games, Gainbridge Fieldhouse had an average attendance of 17,035, a WNBA record. On the road, Fever games averaged 15,131 fans, also a WNBA record.
Carver-Hawkeye Arena was full for Clark's return, and multiple fans of the 15,000 in attendance reacted to her return.
Even sportsbooks know what Clark means to the game. Fanatics reacted to Clark being asked about her half-court three-point basket and stated what Iowa fans know: she is HER.
I did, Steve, I did. The game was emotional for die-hard Hawkeye fans, and it was a great way to mesh the raucous Iowa crowd with a WNBA game.
Another tearful Iowa fan was emotional about Clark's return to Iowa City. Even though it was just a preseason matchup, it meant a great deal to Hawkeye and WNBA fans alike to see Clark and the Fever in Iowa City.
She is indeed the GOAT. Love her or hate her, Clark has done so much for women's basketball and basketball overall.
They hate her because they aren't her? It is hard to find reasons to hate Caitlin Clark, but some people do. Clark continues to gain more fans as she pushes the needle forward for women's sports.
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever have one final preseason game against the Atlanta Dream in Atlanta on Saturday, May 10, at 2:00 p.m. Central Time.
The Fever begins the regular season at home at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 17 at 2:00 p.m. Central Time against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky.