Fever GM Reacts Around WNBA History Made During Season Opening Loss vs Wings
The Indiana Fever might have been overwhelmed on the opening night against Dallas, but that didn’t stop them from making some history. From an on-court perspective, the Fever’s performance was defined by defensive struggles and inconsistent shooting from beyond the arc. But the attention immediately shifted from this on-court performance to the game’s broadcasting numbers, prompting the Fever GM to react.
According to recent numbers, the Fever-Wings game attracted around 2.5M viewership across ABC and ESPN Networks. This stellar number makes this game the second-most-watched game on the ESPN Networks. The WNBA Communications X handle shared a post, confirming this historic milestone.
Fever GM Amber Cox, in turn, shared the post and reacted with a single emoji to mark the skyrocketing growth of Fever’s stock over the past few years. “🚀” Cox remarked in her caption.
The game marked Caitlin Clark ’s return to the WNBA after an injury-laden 2025 season. Furthermore, it also marked the clash of two of the best young point guards in the country – Clark and Paige Bueckers .
Doubling down on the second part, the game also featured a unique anecdote: each of the last four No. 1 draft picks- Clark, Bueckers, Aliyah Boston , and Azzi Fudd played in the game. With so many interesting storylines, the game was supposed to catch quite a few eyeballs automatically last weekend.
As reality set in, the game was quite anticipatory as well. With Clark (20 points), Bueckers (20), and Boston (23) going toe-to-toe on the court, the game was a back-and-forth, facilitating more viewership. The Wings eventually clinched a three-point win, but the Fever fought hard as well in a 107-105 showdown.
For Amber Cox and the Indiana Fever, this historic milestone is yet another silver lining for them, just a year after setting the record for the most-watched WNBA game across the ESPN Network. Caitlin Clark and the Fever achieved it while facing Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky . They had around 2.75M viewers during the game, thanks to the hype around Clark and Reese’s rivalry.
In fact, all the top three games from the list are Indiana Fever games. It clearly adds weight to the team, and it’s franchise player Clark’s impact on the league businesses yet again. Furthermore, it validates the WNBA’s bet on the Fever’s viewership. And, subsequently, broadcasting all of its games on National television.
For the league, these impressive broadcasting numbers are also a major head start amid its media rights deal with NBCUniversal, Paramount, Disney, and others, which is currently being valued at $3.1M.
The broadcasting numbers might grow even more as the stakes rise throughout the season. But beyond that, the Fever are still to put a win on the board. As a result, they will also need to address the team’s shortcomings quickly that led to the loss to the Dallas Wings.
Indiana Fever Still Eyeing the Initial Momentum to Kickstart Their Season
The Dallas Wings game might have been historic for Indian Fever. But it also left the team exposed at their home, Gainbridge Fieldhouse. A strong defense suddenly looked lean and weak.
Many of the team’s key defensive players, such as Monique Billings , were injured. On the other hand, Lexie Hull , who is Fever’s most important perimeter defender, was also under minutes restriction. As a result, the night became a feast for Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale .
Both combined to drop 42 on the night, as the Wings scored 52% from deep. But ahead of their second game of the season against the LA Sparks , the team is expected to get some depth in that regard. According to the latest reports, the Fever will get Billings and Hull back. It’s a major sigh of relief for the Indiana Fever’s defensive front as they look to open their account.
Yet, speaking in a pre-game press conference, Hull felt the team needed to sync more to become a well-oiled defensive engine.
“I think for us it’s being able to trust each other,” Hull said. “We have a lot of schemes. We have a lot of actions that we’re doing defensively that are different team to team. And making sure that we trust each other to be in spots that we walked through. That’s just going to take time for us to build that chemistry on the defensive side. But we’re going to get back for sure.”
Nevertheless, the LA Sparks game will be a challenge for the Fever after a historic night against the Wings. After all, squaring off against Nneka Ogwumike , Kelsey Plum , and Dearica Hamby will never be comfortable, irrespective of the players on your roster. The game will tip off on May 13 at the Crypto.com Arena.
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