Caitlin Clark in private talk with NBA chief as Fever star receives seven-word message
NBA commissioner Adam Silver was full of praise for Caitlin Clark's rookie season with the Indiana Fever during a recent trip to Indianapolis, explaining how the star has made a global name for the WNBA
Adam Silver says that “Caitlin Clark set the world on fire” during her maiden rookie season with the Indiana Fever.
The NBA commissioner was present at the Indiana Pacers’ game with the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday evening, taking the time to meet 22-year-old Clark who was sat courtside. And while it is unknown exactly what the two spoke about during their brief encounter, Silver also took the time to publicly praise Clark’s growing list of achievements.
Speaking on FanDuel Sports Network Indiana, Silver said: “Caitlin Clark set the world on fire, not just this community.” He added: “People are seeing how deep this league is, how good the quality of basketball is. I jokingly said this league is a 28-year overnight sensation.”
Clark first caught the attention of basketball fans at U16 level, winning gold in the FIBA Americas Championship in 2017 before clinching gold at U19 in the FIBA World Cups in Thailand and Hungary. The youngster opted to study at the University of Iowa while continuing to craft her trade with the Hawkeyes.
Between 2020 and 2024, Clark received a number of incredible honors thanks to her performances with the team, including two AP Player of the Year awards, John R. Wooden accolades, and James E. Sullivan awards a-piece, as well as a pair of Naismith College Player of the Years and USBWA National Player of the Years.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Clark’s collegiate achievements, culminating in the Iowa Hawkeyes retiring her famous No.22 jersey. Clark was selected as the first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft by the Fever in April this year, making her debut the following month in a 92-71 loss to Connecticut Sun.
Despite the scoreline, Clark managed to score 20 points and made 10 turnovers – the most from a debutant in WNBA history, foreshadowing an incredible maiden season in the big leagues. Thanks to a whirlwind campaign, Clark managed to help the Fever to their first playoffs in eight years, albeit they were bested by the Sun once more in a best-of-three series.
The point guard smashed through a number of prestigious WNBA records during her rookie season, including the first Fever player in history to record a triple-double, the WNBA single-season record in turnovers, the WNBA rookie assists record, a league-high 122 three-pointers, and became the fastest woman to break 100 three pointers in the WNBA.
Thanks to her efforts, Clark finished the regular season with an average of 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, and subsequently received the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year accolade after receiving 66 of the 67 total votes. Fans will be excited to see how Clark continues to rise in prestige as the 2025 season gets underway.
