Entering the 2025 WNBA season, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever still have everyone's attention. Clark's stardom has gripped fans around the world, including LeBron James.

Ahead of the Fever's season opener against the Chicago Sky, James sent Clark his best wishes on Instagram. The Los Angeles Lakers star told Clark to “do you per usual” while sharing an old picture he took with her.

James has no direct connection to Clark besides their shared Midwest origins. However, the 40-year-old typically likes to take on a mentor-like role to young up-and-coming basketball stars.

Clark is coming off a historic rookie season that put the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year trophy on her mantle. After breaking numerous barriers in college, Clark took the league by storm and led the Fever to their first playoff appearance since 2016.

Now in her second season, Clark's expectations are even higher. The Fever set her up for success by hiring former Coach of the Year Stephanie White to guide her in 2025 and acquiring veterans DeWanna Bonner, Sophie Cunningham and Natasha Howard in free agency.

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Fever, Sky kick off rivalry early in 2025

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks by Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) during the second half.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Clark's sophomore campaign begins against the Chicago Sky in the first chapter of the WNBA's manufactured rivalry. Clark's Fever played host to the Angel Reese-led Sky in a Saturday afternoon affair.

The two teams, which feature two of the league's biggest stars, have slowly built a competitive rivalry. As such, the WNBA pitted them together for its inaugural “Rivals Week” in August.

Since Reese's LSU team topped Clark's Iowa squad in the 2023 women's NCAA Championship Game, their careers have often butted heads. They rightfully landed on opposing franchises in the WNBA that exist just three hours apart, furthering their shared storylines. The competitive tension only intensified in 2024 as they locked horns in a neck-and-neck Rookie of the Year battle that Clark pulled out down the stretch.