The Indiana Fever are fighting to maintain a spot in the WNBA playoff picture as the 2024 season approaches its midpoint. Rookie guard Caitlin Clark has had a strong start to her professional career. Clark arrived in Indiana after a stellar run with the Iowa women's basketball team. Her efforts with the Hawkeyes earned her a prestigious award at the 2024 ESPYS, and she spoke about the honor before the Fever-Mercury game.

Clark won the 2024 ESPY award for Best Women's College Athlete and gave an insightful reaction to the honor:

“Yeah, I was watching it live. I was just sitting on my couch by myself… something that really stood out to me was like how much women’s basketball was a part of the show… shows where women’s basketball is going & obviously women’s athletics in general,” Clark said, via CltuchPoints' Fever Reporter Matthew Byrne.

In addition to her college athlete honor, Clark won the Best Record-Breaking Performance ESPY, the first woman to do so. Clark said she was surprised the feat had not been done yet.

“Yeah I didn’t know that until my little brother sent it to me this morning…. It probably shouldn’t have been the first woman to win that award in my eyes just because I grew up supporting so many different female athletes that I idolized and loved. And the amount of records I saw people break… how did Serena Williams never win that award? That's crazy.”

“Hopefully, it's the start to getting women more recognition and their accomplishments being recognized a little bit more. Obviously, it's cool. It's not something you would've guessed honestly. But for me, it's just something I'm really grateful for,” Clark added.

Caitlin Clark, Fever look to continue growing

The dynamic duo of Caitlin Clark and Ailyah Boston continues to grow and reap benefits for Indiana. Both players were named WNBA All-Stars due to their strong starts to the 2024 season, and they will only get better. Moreover, Clark glowed speaking about the impact Boston has on the Fever locker room.

“She’s such a positive light in our locker room,” Clark said of Boston after July 9 practice, per Byrne. “She’s been somebody that’s been really helpful throughout my rookie year, obviously having gone through it just a year ago. I think you can tell our chemistry is really coming along. A lot of that has been developed through games, so the more practice we get together, only the better it’s gonna get.”

Having someone like Boston be a strong presence will help Indiana when times get hard throughout the season. Through 23 games, Boston averages 13.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and shoots an impressive 40 percent on three-pointers. Her connection with Clark helps them keep the Fever's scoring attack honest.

Speaking Clark, the star rookie guard looks to continue to improve amid her stout showing in the first half of the season. Clark averages 16.7 points, 7.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and shoots 34.2 percent on her deep-range shots.

It was great to see Clark represent the Fever in the ESPYS. If she continues to work hard, she and her teammates will gain even more recognition.