The Indiana Fever made franchise history this week, taking down the Minnesota Lynx 74-59 towin their first-ever WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. But they did it without the player who’s become the face of the league.
Caitlin Clark was ruled out ahead of tipoff, sidelined with an ankle injury that left fans wondering if Indiana could hang with the defending champs. Turns out, they could do more than hang-they dominated when it mattered most.
Clark was still very much part of the moment, just in a different way. She showed up on the sidelines, low-key and locked in, watching her teammates claw back from a double-digit hole and control the second half. And when the trophy was finally hoisted, she made a conscious choice: to celebrate from the background.
Clark Missed the Game, but Her Leadership Was on Full Display
After the final buzzer, she briefly popped into Aliyah Boston’s Amazon Prime postgame interview-then quickly stepped aside again. As the Commissioner’s Cup trophy made its way around the team, Clark stood with Lexie Hull and Sydney Colson, chatting with Sophie Cunningham. She could’ve pushed her way to the front; instead, she let others have the spotlight.
“She’s about the group,” said head coach Stephanie White. “Even when she’s not playing, she finds ways to lead. That means more than any stat line.”
White also credited the team’s defense and chemistry for the win. “When we locked in during the second quarter, it changed everything,”she told The Athletic. “They’ve earned this with how hard they’ve fought all year.”
Later that night, Clark turned to social media to give her teammates a proper shoutout. “My girls did their thing !!!!!! So proud!! Lfggggg,” she wrote on X, adding six red heart emojis.
As ESPNW noted earlier this season, Clark’s willingness to defer, support, and lead from anywhere has been a big reason the Fever have grown into real contenders. This game wasn’t about her-and that’s exactly why it still was.
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