Is Caitlin Clark leaving the WNBA? Explaining post about NBA's interest in Fever star

Stephanie Kaloi

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Is Caitlin Clark leaving the WNBA? Explaining post about NBA's interest in Fever star image

The WNBA season kicked off last Friday and one player is everywhere right now: Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark.

The Fever hosted the Chicago Sky and brought the team to their knees with a 93-58 victory. The game was notable for several big reasons: DeWanna Bonner became the WNBA's 3rd all-time leading scorer, Aliyah Boston racked up a double-double and Clark hit her third career triple-double. (Oh, and had a major foul moment with Angel Reese.) 

Clark is getting so much attention right now that she's even hit the NBA parody X account @TheNBACentel, which wrote on the platform, "Adam Silver is reportedly exploring ways to bring Caitlin Clark into the NBA."

The account credited @WindhostESPN, a fake account that's meant to imitate ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst. 

The post immediately got a lot of reactions, so let's break it down.

MORE: Caitlin Clark reveals her LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan GOAT decision

Is Caitlin Clark leaving the WNBA?

No, Caitlin Clark is not going to the NBA. The tweet about commissioner Silver exploring ways to bring her to the NBA is from a parody account.

During an interview with The Bill Simmons Podcast, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert revealed she and Silver have had conversations about Clark, just not ones about her leaving the WNBA for the NBA.

"No league is ever about one player, but in this case, Caitlin brought tens of millions of new viewers into the W," Engelbert said. "And there's no denying that impact. Not just in the WNBA, but the world of sports.

"[NBA commissioner] Adam [Silver] and I talk all the time about this, she's the most popular athlete in America."

Clark was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She signed a four-year, $338,056 contract with the Fever, making her a restricted free agent after the 2027 season.

Clark broke a number of records in her rookie season with averages of 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. In addition to being named the Rookie of the Year, she earned an All-Star and All-WNBA selection.

Clark's sophomore season continues on Tuesday, May 20, when the Fever take on the Atlanta Dream at home.

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Stephanie Kaloi

Stephanie is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. Her journalism career began entirely too long ago and is still her favorite thing to do. She covers women's sports (primarily basketball) and loves writing lengthy reports for no reason about exactly how each WNBA team will and will not succeed in any given season.