Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever qualify for WNBA playoffs

What has already been a landmark 2024 for guard Caitlin Clark got even better Wednesday, as the Indiana Fever qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2016. It ended the franchise’s seven-season playoff drought that was tied for the longest in WNBA history.

Clark, the No. 1 draft pick and front-runner for WNBA Rookie of the Year, and the Fever made the postseason despite not playing Tuesday. That was thanks to Las Vegas’ 90-71 victory over Chicago and Phoenix’s 74-66 win against Atlanta.

Indiana, which moved to 17-16 Sunday and has its first winning record since June 2019, is in sixth place in the WNBA, which sends eight teams to the playoffs.

Seven of the spots are now clinched, as Phoenix (17-17) also earned a berth Tuesday after missing the postseason last year for the first time since 2012. Chicago and Atlanta, both 11-22, are battling for the last spot with Washington, which beat Dallas 90-86 Tuesday and is 10-23.

New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, Las Vegas and Seattle previously had earned their postseason spots.

Earlier this year, Clark became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball history and made her second straight national championship game to finish her Iowa career. Then she joined 2023 No. 1 pick and Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston in Indiana.

Since the Fever’s first media day in May, Clark has talked about the team’s primary goal this season: making the playoffs for the first time since the franchise legend Tamika Catchings ended her career in 2016.

Before the drought, the Fever had made the playoffs 12 years in a row, including winning the 2012 WNBA championship. But five of the past seven seasons, the Fever have had single-digit win totals. Attendance plummeted by 2022, when Indiana went 5-31.

Under first-year coach Christie Sides and with the addition of South Carolina star Boston last year, the Fever improved to 13-27. Then the Fever won the draft lottery again and got Clark.

Boston, Clark and two No. 2 picks, Kelsey Mitchell (2018, from Ohio State) and NaLyssa Smith (2022, from Baylor), have been Indiana’s starting core this season. The Fever got off to a rough start at 1-8 but then found their footing. They were 11-15 at the Olympic break and have gone 6-1 since WNBA play resumed.

Mitchell is leading Indiana in scoring (19.0), followed by Clark (18.7), Boston (13.4) and Smith (11.1). Clark leads the WNBA in assists (8.4), and Boston (9.0) is in the league’s top 10 in rebounding.

Indiana has seven games left, six of them at home in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, starting Wednesday against Los Angeles. The Fever have led the WNBA in attendance this season, with huge crowds both at home and on the road.

The Fever are the second team in WNBA history to make the playoffs after starting the season 1-8 or worse. The Charlotte Sting, who disbanded after the 2006 season, made the WNBA Finals in 2001 after starting the season 1-8, and lost there to Los Angeles.