Caitlin Clark Shines in First WNBA Home Game,Win vs Atlanta Dream. Her Control Is UNBELIEVABLE!! OMG, That pass is crazy.K
Caitlin Clark Highlights In FIRST WNBA Home Game, Win vs Atlanta Dream | Indiana Fever.
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Raucous crowd roars its approval for Caitlin Clark in her home debut with Fever, an 83-80 win
INDIANAPOLIS â Caitlin Clark walked into her new home arena Thursday night with No. 22 shirts and jerseys peppered from floor to ceiling.
She left the building as a first-time WNBA winner.
A late-arriving but louder-than-usual crowd roared during her official introduction to Fever fans and again when Clark made her first basket, a layup with 7:00 left in the first quarter. The cheers grew when she completed a three-point play a few minutes later and hit a crescendo when she finally made a long 3-pointer from the edge of the fieldhouse logo late in the third quarter.
Yes, Clark successfully navigated the cityâs most anticipated rookie debut since Peyton Manning played for the NFLâs Indianapolis Colts in 1998 even though it wasnât quite the start most anticipated. While the Fever won 83-80, Clark had 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and six turnovers while going 4 of 12 from the field and 2 of 9 on 3s in 31 minutes.
Afterward, Clark posed for a photo with former college teammate Gabbie Marshall.
Naturally, the Atlanta Dream challenged the leagueâs No. 1 overall draft pick with hard closeouts, defenders forcing the ball out of her hands and a physical style to get Clark off her spot.
The result: Clark missed her first two shots and her first four from 3-point range and her new teammates struggled to take advantage of her crisp passes into the paint, putting the Fever in an early 18-8 deficit.
But Clark helped rally the Fever from an early double-digit deficit and when she knocked down the long 3 with 2:17 left in the third, Indiana led 68-60. And through it all she was both a big hit and a welcome change for a franchise in search of a turnaround.
âPeople definitely know who I am,â she said before the game. âSometimes itâs hard to go out and do what I want to do, but at the same time, I wouldnât want it any other way. Thatâs the best way to grow womenâs basketball. Thatâs the best way to get these fans excited about what weâre going to do here, so I think people they are just as excited as we are to play here. So I think more than anything, enjoy it, soak it in.â
Clark certainly took her own advice.
Why not?
Indiana opened the third deck of seating at Gainbridge Fieldhouse instead of covering it with curtains, and the attendance for Indianaâs only preseason home game was up â way up â from last yearâs regular-season average of slightly more than 4,000 per game. The official crowd total was 13,028 and judging from the attire, most came to see Clark â even for a rescheduled contest.
Indiana was initially scheduled to play Friday but moved the game when the NBA announced the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks would play Game 3 of their best-of-seven series in that time slot.
Yet the WNBAâs No. 1 overall draft pick has generated more interest and attention in womenâs basketball than most of her predecessors, giving her a platform few others possess and sheâs taking full advantage of it.
Her presence, coupled with others in perhaps the most heralded rookie class in WNBA history, prompted league commissioner Cathy Engelbert to announce earlier this week sheâs poised to spend $50 million on charter flights over the next two seasons.
Meanwhile, the curiosity surrounding Clark has some opponents moving games to larger venues to accommodate ticket sales and a team that hasnât been to the playoffs since 2016 will now have 36 of its 40 regular-season games appear on national television.
For Clark, playing in front of full arena has become the norm. For her teammates and coaches, this could be the start of something bigger than they could have imagined.
âThis is what womenâs basketball has always been about,â said Aliyah Boston, the WNBAâs 2023 rookie of the year. âI think itâs really great that fans are following their favorite players from college into the league because thatâs the way we continue to grow.â
Especially when it comes to a generational-type player such as Clark, who has fully embraced her new home city.
âHonestly, Iâm expecting a lot of people to be here, Iâm expecting it to be loud, Iâm expecting the fans to be really in it,â Clark said. âLike I know these fans are going to show up, and they know whatâs going to be going on on the court. I think sometimes you can show up to arenas and theyâre just sitting there. But like when I was in college, they were invested, they know whatâs going on.
âI think itâs the same thing in the state of Indiana, people that support the Fever, that support the Pacers, theyâre invested. So theyâre going to cheer, theyâre going to get after the refs.â
Social Media Is In Tears Over Hailey Van Lithâs Reaction To Caitlin Clark During Iowa-LSU Game
Caitlin Clark and Hailey Van Lith. (Photos via Getty Images)
There is absolutely no stopping Caitlin Clark right now. Just ask Hailey Van Lith.
Hailey was tasked with guarding Clark during tonightâs epic Elite 8 battle between LSU and Iowa at the NCAA Womenâs Tournament, and it did not go well for the Tigersâ guard.
Clark torched Van Lith and the Tigers for 41 point. She also contributed 12 assists and seven rebounds, while draining an insane nine three-pointers. At one point, it seemed like Clark simply couldnât miss.
Also Read:Â Social Media Is Going Wild Over Photo Of Caitlin Clark In Tight Street Clothes, Looking Like Weâve Never Seen Her Before
After the all-time points leader drained one from way beyond the three-point line, Hailey Van Lith couldnât help but shrug at the wizardry that she was witnessing first hand. The cameras even caught her epic reaction. And social media had a field day with it.
Hailey Van Lith reaction got me crying pic.twitter.com/PuoB9LnpyJ
â Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod đ¸đ´Â (@big_business_) April 2, 2024
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In the end, Caitlin Clarkâs 41 points were just too many for Hailey Van Lith and the Tigers to overcome, as Iowa punched their ticket to the Final Four with a 94-87 victory.
Hailey Van Lith Struggled Mightily During LSU Loss
Caitlin Clark and Hailey Van Lith. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Van Lithâs struggles extended beyond the defensive end, as she also was responsible for several miscues on the offensive end for the Tigers.
The senior guard finished the contest with just nine points on 2-of-10 shooting. She was 1-of-6 from three-point range and turned the ball over twice while recording just one assist. It was a disappointing way to end her season after averaging 11.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in her first year at LSU â after transferring from Louisville.
Unless applies for and is granted a fifth-year exemption, it looks like this is how her college basketball career will end.
Stephen A Smith Accused of Being âRacistâ Over Comments About Mike Trout
Stephen A. Smith (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The hot take that Stephen A Smith gave on Los Angeles Angels star Mike Troutâs knee injury drew a lot of criticism.
Center fielder Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels will be sidelined indefinitely after it was revealed he needed surgery to fix a damaged meniscus. In a First Take comment, Stephen A. expressed confusion about how baseball players sustain injuries.
âHow the hell is he always hurt?â Smith yelled. âI donât understand this. It drives me nuts when I see baseball players get hurt. What is it that youâre doing with yourself physically that you canât stay healthy playing baseball? Now, you get hit by a pitch or something, thatâs different, I get all of that. With these oblique injuries, youâre running around bases, catching one, then youâre running out for a fly ball, and all of a sudden, something gets tweaked. What the hell is going on?â
Former Major League Baseball pitcher and current NESN commentator Jonathan Papelbon launched a lengthy tirade against ESPNâs Stephen A Smith on Thursday during an episode of the internet baseball show Foul Territory.
He compared Smith to the former president Donald Trump, labeled Smith a racist, and claimed Smith had formerly been prohibited from covering several Philadelphia sports teams.
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Papelbon brought up an instance from current AL MVP Shohei Ohtaniâs Angels days where Stephen A. Smith made fun of Ohtani for his poor command of the English language. In addition, he asserted that because of Smithâs early 2010s usage of the N-word on broadcast, Black sports fans âdonât acceptâ him.
In addition, Papelbon stated that in the late 2000s, while he was a player for the Phillies and Smith was a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Phillies PR informed him that Smith had been barred from the teamâs clubhouse for spying on the managerâs office.
âIâve always looked at this guy like a complete joke, and really shady,â Papelbon said. âWhen you get kicked out of a major league clubhouse, you should never be able to be a journalist ever again.â
âThis guy is more narcissistic than Donald Trump,â Papelbon said. âYouâre talking about one of the most narcissistic people you could come across, transcribed via NY Post.â
Throughout the course of the last three MLB seasons, Trout has missed a total of 249 games due to injuries. With a contract that expires in 2030, he is making $35.5 million annually, so the Angels have not been receiving much value for their money the last several years on top of the team not being a contender to get into the playoffs regularly.
Also Read:Â VIDEO: Former SportsCenter Host Is Demanding That ESPN âFireâ Stephen A Smith
Although Troutâs inability to maintain his health has angered many Angels supporters, non-contact injuries occur in many sports.
Stephen A. Smith Forced To Apologize Over Remarks On Black People Supporting Donald Trump
Stephen A. Smith (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to controversy and is not usually a man who apologizes for the things that come out of his mouth.
Last month, he found himself apologizing as he took accountability for seemingly supporting Trump for President on behalf of Black people.
Smithâs appearance on Hannity in mid-April caused him to go viral. He was questioned there regarding the link between Black America and Trump as well as the emotions of Black Trumpâs fans amid his trial.
He stated Black folks can relate to Trump âbeing discriminated against,â Smith clarified. The Black community was outraged by the remarks.
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