- Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever have been playing to large crowds throughout the WNBA this season.
- Two Indiana Fever games have drawn at least 20,000 fans this season, and the first was June 7 in Washington.
- The second game was on Tuesday, July 2, when the Fever visited the two-time defending WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces.
The WNBA is setting records of all sorts this season, and much of it has to do with Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark. The former Iowa star has been a gigantic boost to the league, whether it is her debut setting WNBA betting records, or the WNBA Draft shattering previous numbers.
Clark’s presence is also driving attendance numbers through the roof. This is on display on Tuesday night in Las Vegas, where Clark and the Fever played the two-time WNBA defending champions, the Aces.
The Aces announced a crowd of 20,366, which is the highest attendance for a WNBA game since 1999.
Clark Presence Forces Aces to Move to a Bigger Venue
An ESPN report of the game stated that the Aces usually play at Michelob Ultra Arena, which seats around 12,000 people. However, there was such a clamor to see Clark and the Fever that the Aces moved to T-Mobile Arena, which is typically used for concerts and UFC events.
This has been the story for Clark and the Fever all season long. The ESPN report also revealed that on Sunday, June 30, in Phoenix, the Mercury welcomed 17,071 fans to Footprint Center. It was the largest crowd for that venue since 1997. The Fever held off the Mercury for an 88-82 win.
There have been two times that crowds have exceeded 20,000 for games involving Clark and the Fever. The first was on June 7, when 20,333 fans watched the Fever beat the Mystics 85-83 behind a career-high 30 points from Clark.
Clark was impressed by the Las Vegas crowd:
"Honestly, it was probably one of the best we've had from like an energy standpoint. The number of people here just watching warmups, I feel like that's when I can kind of get a gauge on how good the crowd is or how excited they are about the game.
Obviously, they're always excited, but tonight, it just felt very different. There were just mobs of people watching us warm up. It's super cool to be a part of. I hope everybody enjoyed it. And also, I hope everybody saw how good the Aces are. Their fans show up and are incredible."
As for the game, it didn’t go so well for Clark and the Fever. The rookie had 13 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and six turnovers in an 88-69 loss to the Aces. Kelsey Mitchell had 23 points, while Aliyah Boston added 18 points and 11 boards for the Fever. There is no shame in losing to the Aces, who have won the last two WNBA titles.
Vegas got 28 points and nine rebounds from A’ja Wilson, a two-time MVP and current WNBA betting favorite to win a third MVP. Kelsey Plum poured in 34 points for the Aces, who are a blueprint for what the Fever could be in the future.
The Aces have a great inside-out combo with Wilson and Plum. Indiana’s recent success has come when leaning into the two-woman game of Boston in the post, and Clark on the perimeter. Both Clark and Boston made the WNBA All-Star team, which was announced on Wednesday.
That team will take on the US women’s basketball team, which features Wilson and Plum. Team us at Olympic betting sites to win another gold medal. The WNBA All-Star game takes place on Saturday, July 20, in Phoenix.
