As the 2025 WNBA season approaches, one of the goals for the Indiana Fever is to build chemistry after an offseason of upheaval.
Following Caitlin Clark’s 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year campaign and a first-round playoff exit, Indiana brought in a new coach, several veteran free agents and multiple draft picks to compete for the final 12 roster spots when the season begins on May 16.
Advertisement
Training camp officially begins on Sunday, building up to a trio of preseason games and the WNBA season opener against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on May 17.
The Fever seemed to be off to a good start at a team outing on Tuesday, but comments on social media between Clark and Aliyah Boston on Wednesday gave reason for their teammates to doubt that they could be trusted.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) talks to Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell (0) during the 2024 WNBA Playoffs.Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
The controversy started with a sweet gesture that the Fever players made for their teammate, Lexie Hull.
They surprised Hull after a team workout with balloons and gifts to celebrate her recent engagement, and the Fever social media team recorded the whole thing.
The video got plenty of traction on Instagram, where it was reposted by the ESPNW account with a caption that credited Clark and Boston for orchestrating the surprise. “Aliyah and Caitlin had a surprise ready to celebrate Lexie’s engagement,” the post said.
Advertisement
The original video never explicitly showed who bought the gifts, but Clark was eager to claim credit on the public platform with 1.1 million followers. She tagged Boston’s account, writing a comment that leaned into their mischievous shared sense of humor.
“Yes we went and bought these items for her,” Clark commented on the ESPNW post. “Yes, yes we did.”
“Yes we sure did because that’s who we are as teammates,” Boston jokingly claimed in a reply.
Followers seemed to catch onto the joke, as Clark and Boston’s comments each had more than 100 likes in the first hour. Fans may never know who really bought the gifts, but Clark and Boston’s tone seemed to suggest they were not in fact the benefactors.
Advertisement
In any case, the team’s gesture to Hull added to the growing bond among the revamped Fever roster. At the same time, it sparked a controversial whodunit featuring the two former No. 1 picks that may well continue — as an inside joke if nothing else — into training camp and beyond.
Related: Caitlin Clark’s Unfiltered Moment In Front Of New Fever Teammates
Related: Caitlin Clark’s Clear Message on Fever Locker Room Before WNBA Season
