Fever GM Amber Cox Says Caitlin Clark Remains WNBA's 'Tipping Point'

Indiana Fever general manager Amber Cox held her end-of-season news conference Saturday in Indianapolis, two days after the Las Vegas Aces closed out their first-round series with a 94-83 win in Game 3.

The Aces won the series 2-1. Indiana won Game 2 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 99-89, before losing the deciding game Thursday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

Caitlin Clark finished Game 3 with 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting, four assists, and six turnovers. Her 27 points and 15 assists in Game 2 made her the first player in league history with at least 25 points and 15 assists in a game, according to ESPN.

Cox, who is also the Fever's chief operating officer, brought up Clark on her own.

"When the season ended last year, I think the next day she was in the gym and hasn't stopped since," Cox said. "So, the work that she has put in behind the scenes has just been tremendous."

"I think you saw that translate in her game," Cox continued. "Her ability in the mid-range game, I thought she really took a step forward. Her ability to finish through the rim with contact."

Clark played 13 games in 2025. A groin injury on July 15 against the Connecticut Sun, followed by a bone bruise in her ankle before an Aug. 7 game, kept her out for the rest of that season. Indiana reached the semifinals without her and lost to Las Vegas in overtime of Game 5.

This year, she played 40 of the Fever's 44 regular-season games. She averaged 22.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 8.3 assists while shooting 44.6% from the field, 36.1% from 3-point range, and 85.2% at the free-throw line. Her scoring average ranked third in the WNBA. Her assist average ranked second.

"I don't think we talk enough about how great a rebounder she is," Cox explained. "[She] took a big jump defensively as well. She had an MVP-caliber season, and it was wonderful to see coming off of her injury."

As a rookie in 2024, Clark averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists and was named Rookie of the Year. She averaged 16.5 points across her 13 games in 2025.

On July 17, she scored 45 points and handed out 10 assists in a 110-107 win over the Seattle Storm. The 45 points set a Fever franchise record. It was also the first 40-point, 10-assist game in league history.

Clark also made her 200th career 3-pointer that night. It came in her 74th game, seven fewer than Katie Smith needed when she set the previous WNBA record.

After Game 3, Clark said she had put together the best season she has had.

Cox said everybody around the league has benefited from Clark and that "we all need to say thank you more often."

"I never want to take her for granted [for] what she has meant to our team, what she has meant to the league, and what she's meant to women's basketball," Cox said. "She remains the tipping point."

"You look at the ratings, and you look at the full buildings, that started in 2024 when she came into the league, and that is because of Caitlin Clark," Cox added.

Fever games were the most-watched across every one of the league's broadcast partners this season, Front Office Sports reported Sept. 25. ESPN averaged 1.4 million viewers for its WNBA games, up 17% from 2025. ESPN games that did not feature the Fever averaged 984,000.

On NBC, the Fever's Aug. 23 game against the Chicago Sky drew 3.31 million viewers. It was the league's most-watched regular-season game since 1997.

The WNBA drew a record 3.79 million fans across 330 games, according to Across the Timeline data cited by Front Office Sports. Its average of 11,474 fans per game was also a record.

The Fever averaged 15,116 fans on the road, the most of any team. At home, the Golden State Valkyries sold out all 22 games at 18,064 per game for the second straight season.

Indiana finished the regular season 28-16 and entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed for the third straight season.

Kelsey Mitchell averaged 24.7 points during the regular season. Her 1,086 points set the WNBA single-season record. Mitchell will be an unrestricted free agent.