Caitlin Clark noticed immediately when the Indiana Fever rewound the clock to 2016 and she was nowhere to be found.
On Thursday, the Fever joined the popular ten year throwback trend on social media, sharing images of players from the franchise’s roster as it looked nearly a decade ago.
Several current Fever players appeared in the post, but Clark, now the face of the WNBA team, was the most obvious omission.
“The squad back in 2016,” the Fever wrote.
Clark quickly jumped into the comments, pointing out the absence with a confident, tongue in cheek response.
“Can’t be got,” Clark commented.
Her reaction opened the door for friendly teasing from teammates, turning a simple social media post into a moment fans could enjoy.
Teammates pile on, Clark laughs it off
Among the first to respond was Fever guard Chloe Bibby, who took aim at Clark‘s age with a playful jab.
“@caitlinclark22 were you even walking by then? Or still in diapers?” Bibby wrote.
The joke was not far from the truth. Clark, born in 2002, would have been just 14 years old in 2016 and far removed from any professional basketball setting.
The Fever‘s social media team confirmed as much with their own reply.
“@caitlinclark22 scrolled and found nothing,” the Fever handle wrote.
Rather than pushing back, Clark fully leaned into the moment.
She responded directly to Bibby and acknowledged the logic behind the joke.
“@chloe_bibby fair point,” Clark commented.
The exchange quickly gained traction, with fans appreciating the relaxed tone and Clark‘s willingness to laugh at herself.
While she was missing from the throwback images, the post still highlighted several players who are now part of the Fever‘s rotation.
Those featured included Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, Damiris Dantas, Shey Peddy, and Bibby herself, all shown years before their current roles with the franchise.
In many ways, Clark‘s absence said more than her inclusion would have.
In 2016, she was still a teenager, years away from collegiate stardom and her eventual arrival in the WNBA.
Now, she is so central to the Fever‘s identity that fans immediately noticed when she was missing.
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