On Saturday, the Indiana Fever (2-1) host the defending champion New York Liberty (2-0) in one of the premier matchups of the WNBA in May.
There will be plenty of stars on display on both sides. Caitlin Clark picked up where she left off from her Rookie of the Year campaign in 2024 — making WNBA history while averaging 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 9 assists through the Fever’s first three contests.
On the other side, it is a fresh face for New York leading the way so far in 2025. Offseason pickup Natasha Cloud has fit in perfectly with the reigning champs, averaging a team-leading 20 points and 8.5 assists in big wins over the Las Vegas Aces and Chicago Sky.
Before their showdown on the court, Cloud was active in the social media comments of Clark’s do-it-all teammate, Lexie Hull.
Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull (left) and New York Liberty guard Natasha Cloud (right).
Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK; Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Hull, a Stanford graduate, posted a TikTok on Friday flexing the fact that she has a Bachelor and Master of Science in Management Science and Engineering while being a professional basketball player.
“They asked, ‘So you must have a really tough 9-5,'” she jokes in the second slide. The third photo shows her in full Fever gear with the caption “holy (expletive) airball.”
Hull’s off-court hustle — which aligns with her on-court production of 8.3 points, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game this season — resonated with Cloud.
“Okayyyyyyyyy not 1 but 2 degreeeeeees,” commented the Liberty star.
Cloud herself is an example of a WNBA player with impressive motion beyond basketball. A Philadelphia native and graduate of Saint Joseph’s University, she was one of three WNBA players named to the Forbes’ “30 Under 30 List” in December 2020 for her role as a social justice advocate while balancing her professional basketball career.
The interaction between the two brainy ballers gave a strong representation of the strength of the WNBA community off the court before the marquee matchup at Gainbridge Fieldhouse took center stage on Saturday.
