Caitlin Clark’s Fever make several key offseason signings in championship pursuit

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center June 19, 2025.(Darren Yamashita/Imagn Images)

“I think it’s because we made it where we made it last year without some of our key pieces, and with a lot of injuries, and a lot of, like, this adversity.… Our bench was longer than every other bench.We had more people in the training room getting treatment than any other team, and we still almost made it to the Finals,” Hull said.

“Tasting that and being so close and feeling like we have so much more to give, I think that just changes our mindset a little bit.And it’s not necessarily overconfident, but confident in the fact that we really do have a chance.And we should be playing like every game matters, and we’re preparing for that last one.

“I think it’s very achievable with what we’re going to be able to do with free agency.”

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Playing for the Fever has also proven to be a tall task off-the-court, as the massive national attention Clark has brought to the team also results in tension among fans and added motivation among opponents, per Hull. 

“The most challenging part is there’s just so much scrutiny.People have opinions online, and, unfortunately, that’s part of the job and the role that we play,’s harder about playing in Indiana since 2024.

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“People need to know that everyone’s human.We’re real people.I think when things get blown out of proportion, when things get really personal and there’s personal attacks on people’s character, I think that’s where it gets over the line.”

Hull says she noticed a difference in how opposing players started to perform against her team that year, which she credits to the surge in popularity.

“Because of the fans that we’ve gotten since 2024, with the rise in, I think, like, popularity with the Indiana Fever being like a name that people know.… And there’s a million Fever jerseys and Fever shirts.I think, like, as an opposing team, you’d want to win even more because you feel there’s so many people rooting,” Hull said.

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“It’s exciting to have that type of following across the country, and I think, like, for other teams, they have great fans and great people that show up for them, and they want to perform for those people, just like we want to perform for ours.”

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Indiana Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell (0) and Caitlin Clark (22) talk during the first half in Game 2 of a first-round WNBA basketball playoff series against the Connecticut Sun Sept.25, 2024, in Uncasville, Conn.(Jessica Hill/AP)

The Fever’s season ended in 107-98 overtime loss to theLas Vegas Acesin Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals last year.

With Clark returning from injury, their core intact and at least one new addition, Indiana is looking to finish the job.

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Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.