Q&A: Why Caitlin Clark would fear the 2025 Fever if she had to face them
Locating Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark on a court is never really hard to do. She's usually dishing out sweet assists or draining a shot in a place not many others can ― from the logo.
Clark's long-distance 3-pointer has become a signature staple in her game as she heads into her sophomore season in the WNBA and first under head coach Stephanie White. The former Iowa product turned heads in Indianapolis and across the country during much of the 2024 season as she ripped out pages of history books on her way to All-WNBA First Team and Rookie of the Year honors. Clark hopes to build on that moment during 2025, and she's doing it with long-time partner State Farm.
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Together, the brand and Clark are unveiling a new platform, With the Assist, which focuses on assistance on and off the court, plus an accompanying campaign, fittingly titled "From The Logo." The Fever guard couldn't help but gush about the perfect play on words and what her partnership means to her when she spoke with For The Win.
"I think it's a brand that's really authentic for myself, "Clark said. "I think the thing I love about them the most is how they support women's sports, specifically women's basketball ... They don't just talk about it. They truly invest in it."
Ahead of the 2025 WNBA season, For The Win, sat down with Clark to discuss her evolution from her rookie season to year two in the league, what element of the Fever's game would intimidate her if she was on another team, and what she really thinks about all the conversations surrounding her muscles.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What's the most important assist you've ever had off the basketball court?
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Jake from State Farm during a "From The Logo" State Farm commercial. (Courtesy of State Farm)
I think it's just the little things. I think, especially as a professional athlete, there's a lot of little things in life that people don't always see and things that you need to get done and get accomplished. And those are the people you lean on, whether it's your family, whether it's your friends ― whoever it is ― people that are there to pick you up. People that are there to build you up when it's great, when it's not as great.
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FTW: What little things do you value?
Ooo. That's a good question. I think what I value the most is certainly my friends and family. Like, those are my people. They're like my why. They're [why] I do what I do. Like, obviously, I love basketball, too, but at the end of the day, those are the people that matter the most to me, and I've always had good perspective on basketball not being everything. But also, basketball has allowed me a lot of really cool opportunities. Whether that's inspiring young girls, inspiring young boys, getting to meet new people ― getting to travel new places ― I think it's opened a lot of really cool doors for me.
What other WNBA players would you put on the list of all-time great passers?
Sue Bird
I think for myself, growing up, like that was Sue Bird for me. Sue was the player that I loved getting to watch. (When I went to my first WNBA game, don't tell Sue this, but I was more so there for the Lynx. But they were playing the Storm at the time.) So, I got to see her play, and the way she passed the ball.
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And even on the men's side, you know, I think Chris Paul and Steve Nash, and you look at players like that. I loved the men's game growing up, too. And then I think, Ticha Penicheiro, not a player a lot of people always talk about, but somebody that ― you watch her highlights, and you pull up some of the plays she had in the league, and it's like she was making crazy passes behind her head and stuff.
What did you learn about yourself after your rookie season, and how did you implement it for year 2 in the WNBA?
Caitlin Clark
I think being a rookie in the WNBA is so unique because there's no league like it, really. Ending your college career, and you're becoming a professional immediately. So, I think just getting a year under my belt was the best thing for me. You understand how the week works. You know what to expect. Everything like that. But at the same time, you know, year two is still gonna be a little different for me from the standpoint of I got a lot of new teammates. I have a new coach, new coaching staff.
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And so, being able to figure them out ― how they operate, how they do things ― I think will be really important for our whole group. So, it's gonna take a little time to put together. But, you know, I think having an offseason of things that I could really just work on and get better at, I haven't really had that in a couple of years now, because my last year going into Iowa, we took our foreign trip. So, I haven't really had an offseason in a while. So, it was really nice to kind of just have that reset and get back to things I wanna get working on. Add some muscle to my frame.
What do you think of all that chatter about "Caitlin Clark's muscles"?
I think it's funny.
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I think people see one photo, and they kind of just run with it. But, I mean, I appreciate it, I guess. I worked really hard. So, at least they noticed, I guess.
If you were on a different team, what element of the Indiana Fever's game would intimidate you?
Caitlin Clark
I think the Fever of this year, probably our depth. I even think, looking across the league, as you prepare for other teams that have the type of depth that we do, you know, that just makes it really difficult. It makes it difficult from a defensive standpoint.
You know, the amount of different things that teams can do. It puts you in a difficult position to pick and choose ... If somebody doesn't have it one night, you're just going to the next person on the bench, and the next person. You know, we're gonna have to be able to find a way to use that to the best of our ability.
Chris Paul famously has State Farm "twin brother," Cliff Paul. What would your twin's name be?
Chris and Cliff. Maybe Caitlin and like, Catherine, or something like that. I don't know. Maybe we just created something. I don't know. You'll have to be on the lookout. We'll give you credit.
What did you think of Flau'jae Johnson recently mentioning you in a song, and would you hop on a track with her?
No. I would never. I would leave that to her. She's incredible, but it was awesome. Her music is really great. She's so talented, and I've honestly been a really big fan of hers since we played them at LSU. I think her game is really good. It will be fun to watch her this last season in college.She told me a while back, actually, that she was putting me in a song. So, I've kind of been waiting for it. I know it takes a while to make music and get everything in a production and everything, but she wasn't lying. She really was actually putting me in a song. Yeah, she's incredible. That was fun to see.
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FTW: Did you let your friends and family know?
Oh, they all saw it themselves. Yeah. People were texting me, like, " Wow, that's really good." I'm like, "I know. Her music is really good."
Will Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift be coming to an Indiana Fever game this season?
Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark
Oh, gosh. I don't know. I mean, I hope so. They're on a nice "in-vacation mode" right now. So, I hope they enjoy a nice little break out of the spotlight. But, I'm sure they'll be cheering for the Fever either way.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Q&A: Why Caitlin Clark would fear the 2025 Fever if she had to face them
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