Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are already making waves before the 2025 WNBA season tips off. The Fever are set to make history as the first WNBA team to have an exhibition game nationally televised. However, this landmark moment may face a potential hiccup due to scheduling conflicts with the NBA playoffs.
On January 30, the Fever announced they’ll be taking on the Brazilian National Team in a preseason exhibition matchup at Carver-Hawkeye Arena—the same floor where Clark became a college basketball icon with the Iowa Hawkeyes. This homecoming adds even more weight to what’s already a monumental moment for women’s basketball.
According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand and Ben Pickman, ESPN is set to air the game, marking the first nationally televised exhibition game in WNBA history. But as exciting as that is, there’s a catch. The NBA conference semifinals are scheduled to begin on May 5 and 6, which could mean a potential Game 7 from a first-round series falling on May 3 or 4—the same weekend as the Fever-Brazil exhibition.
To avoid any overlap, Marchand and Pickman noted the game could be shifted to ESPN2. It may not be ESPN’s flagship channel, but it still offers a significant platform for a preseason matchup and, more importantly, for Clark’s WNBA debut in front of a national audience.
But even if that debut faces a minor speedbump, Caitlin Clark is going to be a regular fixture on TV this season. The Fever are scheduled to appear in 41 nationally televised games—the most in league history—showcasing just how much excitement is building around the rookie sensation.
Caitlin Clark’s lockdown defense is one to watch for her sophomore year
Reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark jokingly warned her opponents in the upcoming 2025 season, as she’s aiming to tighten up her defense from one end of the court to the other.
In her appearance on ESPN’s The Bird and Taurasi Show, hosted by WNBA legends Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi during the NCAA National championship game between the UConn Huskies and the South Carolina Gamecocks on April 6, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star joked about picking up full court in her second season in the WNBA.
“That’s gonna be me this year,” Clark said. “Picking up full court, guys. …Yeah, watch out.”
She was electric on offense in her rookie campaign—averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. But if she truly elevates her perimeter defense, Clark could become the kind of two-way threat that pushes the Fever into legit title contention as early predictions dictate.
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