Caitlin Clark's First Home Game Draws 13K Fans, Fever Averaged 4K Last Season

Will Caitlin Clark's star power carry over to the WNBA? One home (exhibition) game in and we have our answer. A big hell yes!

22-year-old Clark officially suited up in front of the hometown fans for the first time as an Indiana Fever player Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis ... as the squad took on the Atlanta Dream, beating them 83-80.

The game didn't count ... so it's all the more astounding that 13,028 fans showed up to watch Clark and her teammates, nearly triple the Fever's regular-season attendance numbers from the 2023 season, where they averaged 4,067 a game.

FYI, the league average was 6,615 fans.

"It was a lot of fun, I thought they were loud, I thought they were into it," Clark said of the big crowd. "It was fun to see."

Clark doesn't believe the 13K will be a fluke, either ... they're there to stay.

"This is a preseason game on a Thursday night and there's 13,000 people here. I think that just shows what it's going to be like for us all season, and it's going to help us."

As for how she played, while Clark didn't put up her typical 32 points (which she did this season at Iowa), she had a solid first game, despite shooting the ball poorly, scoring 12 points (4-of-12 shooting, 2-of-9 from 3), grabbing 8 rebounds, and dishing 6 assists.

“I don’t think I was that effective, honestly,” Caitlin told reporters following the game. “I thought more than anything I did a really good job of passing the ball, finding my teammates."

“I think I got into the paint, obviously, I would have liked to make a couple more threes, but sometimes, that’s how you shoot it.

The practice games are now over, and Clark's Fever will open the season against the Connecticut Sun at the Mohegan Sun on Tuesday.