Indiana Fever guard Kaitlin Clark (22) passes over Dallas Wings forward Natasha Howard (6) during a WNBA basketball game in Arlington, Texas, on Friday.
Michael Ainsworth/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Michael Ainsworth/AP
Indiana Fever guard Kaitlin Clark (22) passes Dallas Wings forward Natasha Howard (6) during a WNBA basketball game in Arlington, Texas, on Friday.
Michael Ainsworth/AP
Caitlin Clark made her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fever on Friday night – and showed no signs of slowing down in her “impact.”
The preseason game against the Dallas Wings was another sellout, with enthusiastic fans lining up outside the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas to watch the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer play in his first professional game.
“My biggest goal coming into tonight was to be myself, enjoy playing basketball, be aggressive. I thought that’s what I did,” Clark said in Friday’s postgame press conference.
Similar to his time at the University of Iowa, Clark shined on the court on Friday – despite it being a losing match, scoring 21 points with three rebounds, two assists, two steals. The Wings won 79–76.
Fever head coach Christy Sides praised Clark’s performance but said the rookie star and the rest of the team are still in the adjustment phase.
“We’re still learning each other,” Sides said at a press conference Friday.
The sides said Clark looked tired in the first quarter. The head coach said he expected Clark to lean on his teammates in the future.
Clark was asked what the biggest difference is between professional and college basketball.
“Everyone is super physical, it’s not always said. I would say that’s the biggest thing,” she said.
Clark’s regular season game debut will be on May 14 against the Connecticut Sun.
“This is a big milestone for someone who has always dreamed of playing in the WNBA,” Clark said.
