What's going on: WNBA fans were counting down the days until Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark was back on the court — and this weekend, she delivered. After missing five games due to an injury, Clark returned in a big way against the New York Liberty. She totaled a season-high of 32 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds — yes, in a single game. She also nailed back-to-back threes (maybe her custom sneakers — which had a picture of her dog — brought some extra magic). By the end of the night, the Fever handed the defending champs their first loss of the season. As if that wasn’t enough, Indiana also beat the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday in a game that saw Clark get shoved to the ground.
Our take: It’s no secret that Clark, who has changed women’s basketball (and maybe even men’s), is fueling record ratings for WNBA games and ticket sales. During her absence, WNBA viewership dropped a staggering 55%, according to Nielsen and USA Today. (To be fair, the NBA Finals and French Open probably played a role, too.) Now, Clark’s slam-dunk return has the league and fans back on their feet — just ask LeBron James.
