INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever are celebrating a storybook season — the team returned to the playoffs, played in front of record-breaking, sold-out crowds and raked in huge TV ratings.
The fan frenzy and "Caitlin Clark effect" shattered expectations and are now paving the way for a new era in women's basketball.
"I don't think any of us were ready for what that was going to be like. I mean, she is an incredible player and we knew she was going to make a huge impact," said Fever head coach Christie Sides.
"To have fans hanging from the rafters and I mean hanging from the rafters and sold out arenas not only at home but on the road ... it means the world to me," said Fever general manager Lin Dunn.
Dunn called the 2024 season a turning point for the franchise.
"So, now we are back on that path to do what we are supposed to do and that's challenge for championships," Dunn said.
The Fever rebounded from a 1-8 start to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The team finished with a 20-20 record.
Clark had a record-breaking season on and off the court. She broke the WNBA single-season assist record, as well as setting the league's individual game mark. The unanimous AP Rookie of the Year also broke the rookie record for points in a season.
"We are a young group. We have a lot of really talented players on this team, and you know, we won 20 games this year and we are the sixth seed, but I feel like there is so much more that we can accomplish. You can always work for that and remind yourself of that and that's certainly what I am going to do going into the offseason," Clark said.
Off the court, Clark and her fellow rookies have been a ratings and attendance boon for the WNBA. Despite the blowout loss to the Connecticut Sun in Game 1, fans tuned in as the game averaged 1.8 million viewers according to ESPN, making it the WNBA's most-watched playoff game since the 2000 Finals. It was the most-watched playoff game on ESPN ever despite going up against the NFL.
Six different league television partners set viewership records this year for its highest viewed WNBA game — and all of those games included the Fever. Also, WTHR is the Local TV Home of the Fever, broadcasting 15 games this season on WTHR and WALV/MeTV.
Thanks to Clark, the Fever led the league in attendance both at home and on the road. The Fever averaged 17,036 at home and over 15,000 on the road. Four teams moved home games to bigger arenas when Indiana came to town to accommodate more fans.
In the regular season, Clark and Kelsey Mitchell both averaged 19.2 points per game, finishing in the top 10 in the league in scoring. Clark led the league in assists and 3-pointers made, averaging 8.4 and 3.0 per game, respectively. Aliyah Boston finished in the top 10 in the league in rebounding, with 8.9 per game.