Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has been tuning out the noise as she prepares for a potential playoff-clinching run after the WNBA All-Star/Olympic break.
Heading into the second half of the season, the Fever (11-15) currently sit seventh in the league just barely in playoff contention. Indiana faces a long and winding road to secure what could be the team’s first postseason appearance since 2016, and Clark has every intention of getting the Fever there.
When asked if she’d have any interest in competing in the new Unrivaled 3x3 league which debuts in January, Clark told reporters that she’s focused on the present, not the future.
“Honestly I’m just focused on this right now,” Clark said. “One thing at a time. Can’t always just be moving on to the next. My focus is right here.”
Unrivaled, a women’s basketball league created by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, aims to give WNBA players an opportunity to play stateside during the offseason. The six-team league will debut in January 2025 in Miami and run for eight weeks. Several high-profile stars including Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Kelsey Plum and Arike Ogunbowale have already signed up for the inaugural season.
Clark, who’s averaged 17.1 points and 8.2 assists so far in her rookie campaign, would no doubt be a massive get for the newly founded women’s basketball league. However, it would seem as though the 22-year-old guard has other pressing things on her mind at the moment.
Clark and the Fever will play Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury in their first game back from the break on Friday, Aug. 16.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caitlin Clark Maintains ‘Focus’ Is on WNBA Amid Links to Other Women’s League.