The Indiana Fever picked up their first win of the season Friday night 78-73 over the Los Angeles Sparks. For players like second-year forward Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, the back-to-back top-overall picks for the Fever in the past two WNBA Drafts, the start to the season hasn’t been the easiest. After an 0-5 start, they’ve finally hurdled an elusive first win. 

When asked about how they’ve handled everything so far, both players opened up about social media and their mental health.

“I logged out of social media because I had to protect my peace,” Boston said Friday. “I mean, there's just a lot of couch coaches and there's a lot of people that have never stepped foot on the floor that continue to tell you how you should be playing basketball… but I’m doing better.” 

There have been mentions of scrutiny towards Clark and Boston on social media, which even prompted Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon to respond by saying people shouldn’t go after Clark or continue that rhetoric. The 22-year-old rookie hasn't had much time to rest away from basketball. Her college career ended the first week of April and it’s not even June. 

The Fever are six games in, with 34 more in the regular season on the way. 

“It’s definitely been a whirlwind over the course of the last couple months,” Clark said after Boston. “Honestly, I feel like I talk to the media more than I get to talk to my own family. No, I’m being dead serious. Which is really kind of sad, in a way. It’s a lot for somebody that’s 22 years old. It can be tough at times. You know, our team is really young. It’s difficult in navigating this.”  

Caitlin Clark continued that she loves the position she’s in and she wouldn’t change it for the world, but like Boston, she agrees straying away from social media has been the healthiest decision for her mental health.

Clark doesn’t want to lose the love for the game, and nights like Friday are why Clark does love it so much. She was able to hit two clutch 3-pointers in the 78-73 win, scoring 11 points, with eight assists and 10 rebounds. Boston broke out for her season-high 17 points on eight made shots. 

“I started playing basketball because you get a win and then you walk off the floor and there's so many young kids screaming your name and [they] love getting to watch you,” Clark said. “It's the little things that remind me every single day why I do this and why I love it… mental health is very important. It's important for professional athletes. It's important for student-athletes. It's important for every single person in this world to feel like they have somebody to talk to, so.” 

All eyes have been on Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, and the Fever. More than 19,000 fans showed up to watch the Fever play in Los Angeles, which was moved to the larger Crypto.com Arena in anticipation of ticket demand. Millions more have tuned in to watch. Clark’s pro debut at the Connecticut Sun was the most-watched WNBA game in about 23 years and averaged 2.13 million viewers. 

The Fever also play the Las Vegas Aces Saturday night, the reigning champs. Talk about the spotlight.