'Indiana is the new Hollywood:' Caitlin Clark draws a crowd. Fever teammates embrace it

INDIANAPOLIS — With all the star power coming to Indianapolis, the city could be the new Hollywood. The sports version, with Fever guard Caitlin Clark, Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton and Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson.

At least, that’s what social media thinks.

“Yesterday, I was on Twitter, and someone said that Indiana is the new Hollywood,” Fever guard Erica Wheeler said with a laugh. “I thought it was pretty cool that people felt like that about Indiana, because when you think about Indiana, you think it’s boring, there’s nothing to do. But now everybody wants to be in Indiana.”

Even the red carpet is headed here. ESPN+'s original series "Full Court Press," featuring Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso and Kiki Rice will celebrate its world premiere Monday at the Heartland Film festival at Newfields, with Peyton Manning back in town, his Omaha Productions behind the series.

Indiana has always been a basketball state, but fans have shown extra pride over the past few weeks. Thousands showed up to the Indiana Fever draft party on April 15, and they sold out Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the first two home Pacers playoffs games since 2019. 

Clark drew two standing ovations at Friday’s Pacers game — one when she revved up the crowd during pregame, and another when she and her teammates threw t-shirts into the crowd during a timeout.

“More than anything, the excitement part of it,” Clark said. “People are excited to be coming to our games and watching … You saw that during the draft party, too.”

During the game, she even reached out of the booth she was in to sign an ultrasound.

“Everyone sees it, the energy, the eyes, everyone’s cheering for her,” Fever center Aliyah Boston said. “I mean, she signed an ultrasound, did you guys see that on social media? An ultrasound? Congrats to the lady, but dang.”

And while Clark is used to crowds (Iowa sold out every home game this past season), some of her teammates haven’t seen crowds like this for a while, if ever. The Fever ranked 11th in attendance in 2023, drawing an average of 4,067 fans per game.

Clark joining the Fever as the No. 1 pick in the draft has brought in new Fever fans from all different areas — whether they were Iowa fans before or just fans of women’s basketball, they’re champing at the bit to see Clark play in a Fever jersey. The Washington Mystics and Las Vegas Aces both moved their home games against the Fever to bigger venues because of unprecedented demand, and the Mystics game on June 7 already sold out.

The Fever opened up the highest balcony, which is usually sectioned off with black curtains, for home games this season. As of Tuesday afternoon, there are only eight non-resale tickets left for Indiana’s home-opener against the New York Liberty on May 16.

“I’m excited, I haven't played in front of a crowd like this since I was in college,” said Wheeler, a Rutgers alum. “When we played against UConn, that was when Maya Moore was playing … that was probably the biggest game, as far as the crowd, for me, so to be able to go out here every night in the summer to have a sold out crowd is gonna be super special.”

Indiana still may not be the same as Hollywood, which is home to A-list movie stars, singers, and warm-weather oceanfront. But the Fever are in a very different place now than they were a couple years ago — literally.

Because of past renovations to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 2022 No. 2 pick NaLyssa Smith started her professional career in a barn. The Indiana Farmers Coliseum is a venue on the Indiana State Fairgrounds, and it is frequently used to show cows.

Now, three years later, the Fever are worlds away from the barn life.

“We used to play in a barn with, like, six fans,” Smith said. “Now we’re gonna be playing sold-out arenas, people are moving arenas to watch us play. It’s just going to be huge for us this year.”