Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally understood the impact that Caitlin Clark has had on the WNBA and women’s basketball as a whole, but it didn’t make it any more palatable for her to see the large number of Clark jerseys in the stands on Sunday.
College Park Center, the Wings home arena, was filled with fans on hand to see the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft and Sabally couldn’t help but notice all of the opposing jerseys in the stands.
“Obviously it’s annoying cause there were way too many Caitlin Clark fans in our arena,” Sabally said with a laugh. “Just, kudos cause it’s amazing to see so many people in women’s basketball jerseys. It’s amazing to see the excitement and the joy that comes out of that. Although I feel like our Dallas fans could have done better.
“I had mixed feelings seeing all the Caitlin jerseys in our home, but it’s an amazing sign for women’s basketball and it’s just great how far we’ve come. It’s just fun. It’s a good thing.”
The Fever and Clark have been one of the biggest draws for the WNBA this season, with more than 500,000 fans showing up for their 33 games this year which is a league attendance record.
WNBA games that do not include the Fever are also up, seeing nearly a 20 percent increase in attendance.
Clark set a franchise rookie record on Sunday for points and finished the night with 28, which moved her career total to 617.
“You know when I walked in before the game, there were just hundreds of fans lined up. What Caitlin Clark has done for the game is generational,” Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman said during the telecast. “As a baller to a baller, I just want to say thank you to you, Caitlin Clark. For just lifting our game up. You and so many great players.”