INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark stayed relatively quiet as the Indiana Fever embarked on a major offseason overhaul.
Stephanie White took over as coach. Amber Cox became general manager. The construction of a new practice facility was announced. And then the franchise brought in WNBA champs DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard.
The team welcomed Bonner on Monday, and Clark was there to give a ringing endorsement of the offseason moves.
“They know what it takes to win, they know what it takes to get to the Finals, they know what it takes to win championships,” Clark said, referring to the newcomers. “I think it’s exactly what we needed in our locker room. But also they’re not just really good basketball players, they’re great leaders and great people and I know the front office prioritized that.”
Make no mistake, Clark still runs this team on the court.
In a historic season that featured the league's Rookie of the Year breaking the WNBA's single season mark for assists, playing routinely in front of sellout crowds and drawing record television ratings, the former Iowa star played a pivotal role in helping the Fever snap a seven-year postseason drought while also bringing the franchise back to national prominence.
And with All-Star shooting guard Kelsey Mitchell and All-Star forward Aliyah Boston, the 2023 Rookie of the Year, both back next season, Clark thinks the Fever could take another gigantic leap forward in 2025 and believes the newcomers see it, too.
“This is the franchise of all women's sports, I say, no matter what sport it is,” she said. “They see the type of crowds we get, the excitement we're generating not only in Indiana but all across the country. I think the next few years are going to be amazing for this franchise and will continue to be for, hopefully, the next 10 years. Hopefully, we win a few championships.”
The fact is Indiana has largely filled one glaring omission from last year — postseason experience.
Last week, the Fever re-introduced Howard, a two-time All-Star and three-time league champ, to the franchise that initially drafted the forward No. 5 overall in 2014.
Bonner, the six-time All-Star and two-time league champ who needs seven points to surpass Tina Thompson for No. 3 on the WNBA's career scoring list, worked out with Clark prior to her introductory news conference.
Clark then attended the event and though she wasn't scheduled to speak, did anyway.
“I think it will be a lot of fun to get in the gym and be with my teammates and just start putting the pieces together and see what works or what doesn't,” Clark said. “But I think we're going to have a lot of different options to do a lot of different things. I think that's what's super exciting.”
Bonner, meanwhile, will wear No. 25 instead of her traditional No. 24 because that number has been retired by the Fever in honor of Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings. Now Bonner can focus on teaming up with Clark and Boston on the court while helping mentor them into championship players in the locker room.
Clark and Bonner did cross paths in one notable exchange last year when they were involved in a brief scuffle during the second and final game of a playoff series.
“I think it was just two competitive players who wanted to win and push their teams to get to the finish line,” Bonner said. “It's the playoffs so emotions are high, tensions are high, but I'm excited to step on the court with Caitlin. I think we just feed well off of each other.”
That's certainly the plan as Indiana continues to fine-tune its roster.
Team officials also announced last week that they had signed free agent guard Sydney Colson, a two-time league champ, and acquired guard Sophie Cunningham from Phoenix in a four-team deal that cost Indiana starting forward NaLyssa Smith.
Indiana also waived former draft picks Grace Berger and Victaria Saxton, and team officials announced they and forward Katie Lou Samuelson mutually agreed to part ways.
White, Cox and president of basketball and business operations Kelly Krauskopf haven't said yet whether they're finished making moves before the WNBA draft in April.
Even if they don't, Clark and Bonner each believe this version of the Fever can contend for a title — and that's why the free agents joined the Fever.
“A dynamic point guard can put you in position to score easily and I think playing with Kelsey and A.B. (Boston), it's just going to be easy to score,” Bonner said, before talking about the crowd at the news conference. “I walked in, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know if I've ever been in front of this many media people.' Hopefully, I can put out the product everyone deserves here.”
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