Fever star Caitlin Clark said she’s trying to stay positive after a winless start to her WNBA career.
Indiana lost 85-83 to the Seattle Storm on Wednesday, falling to 0-5 for the first time this season.
“I’m never happy about losing,” said Clark, who had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Per ESPN“It’s not fun, but at the same time, there’s a lot to build on. I just want to stay as positive as possible, keep learning and take each day as it comes. I know that first win is just around the corner.”
Clark, the Fever’s No. 1 overall pick in April’s WNBA Draft, had the best performance of his professional career in front of a sellout crowd of 18,343 in Seattle.
She scored or assisted on 34 of the Fevers’ 83 points and also played brave defense, but it wasn’t enough to help Indiana win.
It was Clark’s third straight road game in which he scored 20 or more points.
After a slow start, the 22-year-old found her attacking rhythm in the second half and had five points on 2-of-9 shooting before halftime.
Wednesday’s loss to Seattle wasn’t decided until the final minute.
Trailing by one point on their final possession, forward Aliyah Boston hit a Hail Mary shot from half court, but the Fever couldn’t get it done.
“It was probably the longest minute of a basketball game I’ve been a part of in a long time,” Clark said of the final minute of play, which included two reviews, according to ESPN. “There were definitely opportunities, but at the same time there were little things that held us back.”
Clark, who led the University of Iowa to back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances the past two seasons and is the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s all-time leading scorer, has been under intense scrutiny five games into his pro career.
Although her celebrity has helped boost the WNBA’s popularity and league-wide attendance, Clark has been the subject of both praise and criticism.
In the latest episode, LeBron James and JJ Redick Podcast “Mind the Game”the Lakers star weighed in on the attention Clark received when asked how he dealt with similar abuse when he was 18 years old and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.
“My favorite thing about what she brings to the sports world is that it makes more people want to watch, more people want to tune in, don’t get me wrong. But Caitlin Clark is the reason so many great things happen in the WNBA,” said James, now 39.
“But I personally think she shouldn’t get involved in anything that’s being said. Just have fun. Very few men and women actually achieve their dream of becoming a professional athlete.”
“And we have terrible men and women here doing everything they can to prevent something like that from happening. It’s the strangest thing in the world, but… , that’s the reality. And I’m glad that Caitlin is taking it seriously.”
