Tyrese Haliburton Reveals Fever Jersey He Needs, and It's Not Caitlin Clark's
While some thought there was a chance that the Indiana Fever would come into Thursday's game against the Las Vegas Aces a tad sluggish, they hit the ground running in a big way.
Advertisement
The Fever are fresh off an WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship win over the Minnesota Lynx even without star guard Caitlin Clark. They are also fresh off a postgame celebration that seemed to extend well into the night, worrying fans that there would be a bit of a hangover on Thursday evening.
However, Indiana quickly silenced those concerns, as they went into halftime with a 46-24 lead, getting a tremendous showing from recently signed guard, Aari McDonald.
Through her first 21 minutes of action, McDonald did a bit of everything, recording six points, three assists and also sporting a +/- rating of +22.
She also earned a new fan in Indiana Pacers superstar Tyrese Haliburton. The hero of the Pacers' NBA Finals run this past season took to X to express just how much of a fan he is.
Advertisement
Indiana Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton is a fan of Indiana Fever guard Aari McDonald.Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
"I need a Aari McDonald jersey," wrote Haliburton.
The Olympic Gold medalist and two-time NBA All-Star has been a frequent supporter of Clark and the Fever, receiving the same treatment from Clark whom at one point was the Pacers' good luck charm during the playoffs.
As for McDonald, she has the epitome of an underdog story. She went from being a temporary player for the Fever—thanks to the WNBA's emergency hardship exception and injuries—to eventually being given a full-time roster spot.
Without Clark available, she has picked up the slack in a big way and has also caught the attention of those around the WNBA.
Related: Caitlin Clark Turns Heads on Bench During Fever-Aces
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Josh Giddey Reflects On Incredible Half-Court Game-Winning Buzzer-Beater Against Lakers
Josh Giddey Reflects On Incredible Half-Court Game-Winning Buzzer-Beater Against Lakers originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey delivered one of the best moments of the 2024-25 NBA season back on March 27. Giddey hit a half-court game-winning buzzer-beater against the Los Angeles Lakers to cap off a sensational comeback win for the Bulls, and he reflected on that shot on the Ball Magnets podcast. Advertisement "The shot obviously gets a lot of attention, but we were down like nine points with 15 seconds left," Giddey said. "And there was a lot that had to go right to lead up to that shot going in. And we went up, and then Austin Reaves hit that layup with three seconds left. "We had no timeouts and I tried to get the ball into Coby [White] quick, [but] they denied him," Giddey continued. "I threw it to [Patrick Williams], and he was kind of stuck awkwardly on the sideline. So, I started trailing the play, and he threw it back to me, and the best shot ... I could get was from where I shot it. "If I had kept dribbling, the clock probably would have ran out," Giddey added. "So, I just let it fly, and luckily it went in. While luck did play a factor, Giddey stated he felt like the shot was going in when the ball left his hands. Advertisement "That's kind of why I held my follow-through and kept walking," Giddey stated. "Because when it left my fingertips, it felt good." Here is Giddey's incredible shot. Just a few days before this clash, the Bulls had blown out the Lakers 146-114 at Arena on March 22. The Lakers had revenge on their minds for the rematch and seemed set to come away with an easy win when they led by 18 points early in the fourth quarter. A Bulls comeback seemed highly improbable, but a 32-15 run saw them cut the Lakers' lead to 111-110 with under a minute remaining. Austin Reaves would push the lead back to three, and Giddey then missed a floater, which seemed to seal the Bulls' fate. Advertisement Reaves would hit both his free throws on the next play to push the lead to five with 12.1 seconds remaining. The Lakers looked to have averted disaster, but things would go horribly wrong from then on. LeBron James left Patrick Williams open for a three-pointer, and he drilled it from the corner. Giddey would then steal James' inbounds pass, and Coby White hit another three to give the Bulls the lead. Reaves then scored again with 3.1 seconds remaining, which set the stage for Giddey's memorable shot. With time winding down, the Australian let it fly from half-court over James and drilled it. It was a night that Giddey will never forget, and James won't either, but for all the wrong reasons. Giddey finished with 25 points (8-19 FG), 14 rebounds, 11 assists, and two steals against the Lakers. It was one of the 22-year-old's best performances of the season, and it was part of a very promising stretch of play from him. Advertisement Giddey averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Bulls after the All-Star break. He was very efficient, too, shooting 50% from the field and 45.7% from beyond the arc. The timing of that stretch was quite ideal for Giddey. He is a restricted free agent and, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley, wants a contract worth around $30 million a year from the Bulls. Related: Chet Holmgren On Josh Giddey Getting Traded To The Bulls: "I Was F***ing Hurt... That's Our Dog" This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Indianapolis Star
Fever's alternate identity shows up, but believe consistency 'gradually going to happen'
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Fever have won four of their last six games, including a Commissioner's Cup finals victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday. The two losses have come at the hands of the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks defeated the Fever 89-87 on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, their second win at Indiana in nine days. The Fever were without star Caitlin Clark, who missed her fifth straight game due to a left groin injury. Sparks forward Azura Stevens scored 21 points and collected 12 rebounds. Sparks guard Kelsey Plum added 20 points. Fever forward Aliyah Boston led all scorers with 23 points and had 12 boards. Natasha Howard had 21 points and Kelsey Mitchell finished with 19. Fever coach Stephanie White praised Los Angeles for exploiting matchups, in particular when Stevens and Sparks forward Rickea Jackson had smaller players guarding them. White said the Sparks' length affected the Fever's decision making and felt Indiana over penetrated at times and didn't capitalize on reads. Buy Fever Pitch! IndyStar's book on Caitlin Clark's memorable season The Commissioner's Cup final doesn't count as a regular season game. As a result, the Fever (9-9) have yet to win three consecutive regular season contests. To ensure consistency moving forward, White emphasized the need for a 'high attention to knowing personnel,' including 'who we're going to run off the 3-point line' and 'what we're willing to give up.' The Sparks (6-13) shot 45.5% from 3 while the Fever shot 35% from beyond the arc. 'The other piece is making sure we continue to encourage our team to be disruptive,' White said. 'L.A. moved the ball too easily. I don't mean disruptive physically, but not allowing them to move the ball whenever they wanted to.' Fever guard Sydney Colson finished with six points in 15 minutes. Colson believes consistency will come with time. 'Gradually going to happen over time, and we've seen it over the course of the season, there's been peaks and valleys,' Colson said. 'And you try to lessen how many valleys there are and get to a point where we're having more peaks.' Before Saturday's game, Indiana held its previous two opponents below 60 points. To Colson, both of those performances reflect the team's identity more than the loss to the Sparks. Gratitude: The Fever 'thank God for' midseason addition Aari McDonald, who is 5-2 with Indiana 'The last two games are more indicative of who we're becoming and the direction we're going in, but it's not gonna be perfect all the time,' Colson said. 'In games like this, we just have to have a different level of focus from the start, especially when we know that a team has already been on our home court.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Real Madrid superstar underwent doping test after Dortmund win
According to a report from MARCA, it has come to light that Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe found himself in an unusual situation after his team's 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final. The French forward had to stay behind at the venue to complete a routine doping test, which ended up taking much longer than expected. Advertisement After the match, Real Madrid's players gradually made their way from the locker room to the team bus, ready to head back to their base camp in West Palm Beach, Miami. Club president Florentino Perez also departed the stadium in his car. However, as everyone settled in and the bus prepared to leave, they realised one key figure was missing: Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe had to leave alone The delay left Real Madrid in a tricky spot. With the entire squad and coaching staff already on the bus and time ticking away, they had no choice but to leave without Mbappe. Mbappe scored a fantastic goal against Borussia Dortmund. (Photo by) Advertisement The forward, who had taken longer than expected to finish his doping test, was still inside the stadium nearly an hour after his teammates had gone. When Mbappe finally emerged, he was escorted by a club staff member and whisked away in a different car, followed by up to five police vehicles for security. The extraordinary escort highlighted both the importance of the player to the club and the level of attention he commands wherever he goes. This unexpected incident did little to dampen the excitement of Real Madrid's win, which booked their place in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup against Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappe, who scored a goal in the match, will now focus on helping his team reach the final and lifting another trophy.
