Caitlin Clark, the rising star of basketball, has expressed her enthusiasm for the current moment of basketball in Indiana.
Clark, who has become one of the state’s most prominent figures, has declared herself a fan of the NBA during the playoffs.
Before the WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night, Clark revealed that she was so engrossed in the Indiana Pacers’ victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night that she recorded her reaction to the key play: Tyrese Haliburton’s shot that sent Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals into overtime.
I have a video on my phone that I will never show anyone. Actually, I showed it to a few people. I recorded myself during the final play and have my real-time reaction. It’s a pretty iconic video. Maybe one day everyone will see it, but no, not now.
Caitlin Clark
Clark regretted not having recorded his reaction when Haliburton scored the winning basket in the Pacers’ victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, which sent Indiana to the Eastern final. With his favorite NBA team in another close game, he seized the opportunity.
Clark also shared his reaction on social media on Wednesday night, writing: “THE PACERS ARE THE GREATEST COMEBACK TEAM I HAVE EVER SEEN”.
Clark’s boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, has just completed his first season as an assistant coach at Butler, after a year working for the Pacers in basketball development. Both are closely following the Pacers’ postseason.
Clark highlighted the team’s perseverance. “That team never gives up. They find a way to defy the odds. If you go back and look at the probability tracker, it was like 99.7% for the Knicks last night, and that’s crazy.”
Clark, who had a standout debut season in the WNBA, is helping to drive the league’s growing popularity. Thursday night’s Dream game was moved to State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, and it was announced shortly before tip-off that the arena, which has a capacity of 16,888 spectators, was sold out. The Dream’s usual home, Gateway Center Arena, only has a capacity of 3,500.
Clark concluded: “It’s great to be in Indianapolis right now. People love basketball. It’s always been a basketball state. It’s fun to be a part of this.”
