Fans hoping to see Caitlin Clark’s home debut won’t have to wait as long as previously thought, thanks to the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers advancing in the NBA playoffs has resulted in the Indiana Fever moving up Clark’s home preseason debut one day.
On Dec. 10, 2023, Caitlin Clark put on a masterful performance in leading her No. 4 Iowa Hawkeyes over the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison, Wisconsin. Clark had 28 points, nine rebounds, and five assists, moving into No. 10 on the all-time Division I women’s scoring list in the process, passing Elena Delle Donne.
Just mere minutes later, and halfway across the country in New York City, the 2024 WNBA Draft Lottery was held. The Indiana Fever won the lottery, and with that, the reward to pick first in the WNBA Draft for the second year in a row.
While Clark was just 10th on the scoring list at the time—before eventually becoming No. 1 later in the season—and even though she had not yet even completed half of her final collegiate season, everyone knew that the worlds of Clark and the Fever would combine in the near future.
The Fever drafted Clark first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft on April 15, and her pro home debut has been one of the most anticipated events of the sports calendar. It turns out that debut will come earlier than expected, coincidentally, thanks to the Indiana Pacers of the NBA.
Clark and the Fever were originally scheduled to hold their first home preseason game on May 10, versus the Atlanta Dream. But due to the Pacers advancing to the second round of the NBA playoffs—and with the Pacers and Fever sharing the same home arena of Gainbridge Fieldhouse—Clark’s home debut has been bumped up one day to May 9.
After having not made the NBA playoffs in each of the last three seasons, and having not advanced to the second round in a decade, it’s reasonable that the WNBA schedule makers didn’t anticipate the Pacers still needing their home court for mid-May. While this preseason tilt is the only preseason or regular season Fever game that needed an accommodation for the Pacers’ second-round series, it’s possible that more Fever games could be rescheduled if the Pacers continue to advance in the playoffs.
The WNBA says that tickets for the May 10 game will still be honored for the May 9 rescheduled date. The game will feature not only Clark, who is the overwhelming favorite to win WNBA Rookie of the Year, but also the last two winners of the honor as well. Clark’s Fever teammate, Aliyah Boston, who, herself, was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, claimed the Rookie of the Year award last season. Meanwhile, Rhyne Howard of the Dream was the rookie award winner in 2022.
As for Clark’s regular season debut, that will come on May 14 on the road versus the Connecticut Sun. Her regular season home debut will be two days later on May 16, when Clark and the Fever host the New York Liberty.
With the WNBA schedule running mainly through the summer, that provides a quick turnaround from the end of the college basketball season in April to the start of the WNBA season in May. By comparison, men’s college basketball players who just wrapped up their seasons will have to wait roughly six months before beginning their first NBA seasons begin in October.
Clark is embracing the fast-moving nature of the women’s game as it means less time sitting around and thinking about playing, as opposed to actually being on the court.
No player has entered the WNBA with more hype, but you could argue that no player entered their final season of women’s college basketball with more hype either. Clark played last year under the scrutiny of chasing the NCAA’s all-time scoring mark as well as chasing a national championship. Thus, she feels as though she’s prepared for whatever pressures playing pro ball throws at her.
“The pressure’s always been there whether I’ve been in college or now that I’m starting my WNBA career,” Clark said. “I think just go about it the same way I always do, prepare the same way, have the same confidence and belief I have in myself. But also, I get to play with such great talent. It’s not just me out there, great coaching staff, great players.”
Ticket prices, and availability, have generated nearly as many headlines as Clark’s impending debuts, with her first preseason WNBA game on May 3 being sold out as the Fever visited the Dallas Wings. However, those fans who can’t find a way to be in whichever arena Clark is playing in will still have ample opportunities to view the transcendent player. Of Indiana’s 40 regular season games in 2024, 36 of them will be on national television, distributed among the league’s TV partners in ESPN/ABC, CBS, Prime Video, ION, and NBA TV.
