SAN FRANCISCO — It turns out the “superpower” didn’t belong to Caitlin Clark. Instead, the Golden State Valkyries were fueled by another full house that upstaged the most famous player in women’s basketball in a big way Thursday night at Chase Center.
Brandon Podziemski, who has become something of a mascot for the Warriors’ WNBA affiliate, wore a satisfied smile in a hallway after Valkyries pulled away in the second half for an 88-77 win before a raucous crowd of 18,064.
“We stole the show,” Podziemski said.
Clark was harassed into a 3-for-14 shooting night and went 0-for-7 on 3-point attempts. She committed six turnovers and finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. It was only the second time in 47 WNBA games she failed to make a 3-pointer.
None of this diminishes Clark’s importance in terms of elevating her sport, something that began in college at Iowa and has continued in the WNBA. Once upon a time in 1984, Michael Jordan came to the Coliseum Arena for the first time as a rookie for the Chicago Bulls and finished with 13 points — the lowest total of his first season.
It happens.
Clark has played in six games this season, missing five with a quadriceps injury. But she’s earned rock star status in women’s basketball and beyond unlike anyone else as a long-distance shooter and creator.
Yet the scene at Chase Center wasn’t a bunch of neophyte fans getting their first public look with Clark in her first-ever trip to Sacramento. The sound at Chase was deafening throughout, particularly in a 50-33 second half, and Clark and the Fever simply couldn’t keep up.
“They were screaming. When calls didn’t go our way, they reacted,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “Those are the type of moments that we really need. It puts pressure on the refs, it gives us that home-court advantage we’re looking for. I think our fans were our superpower tonight.”
There were plenty of Indiana jerseys with Clark’s name and No. 22 at the arena, but while other venues have flocked to see Clark, it was clear from the outset that the sea of purple Valkyries fans were there to see their team.
Golden State is 6-6, just like the Fever. But they’ve lost key international players to their respective national teams for EuroBasket 2025 and had to adjust the roster on the fly. None of that has altered the style Nakase and her staff have preached since Day 1 of training camp. They play disruptive defense, win hustle plays and unflinchingly shoot 3-pointers.
Noemi Revuelta, of Pompano Beach, Florida, cheers for Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark (22) before the start of their WNBA game at Chase Center. Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group
Clark’s WNBA experience has included some jealousy from opposing teams and players even as she’s lifted the entire sport. Before the Valkyries fans took over and Clark began misfiring, Clark was shooting 3-pointers in warmups, at one point hitting 29 of 30 as fans in midlevel seats wearing Indiana jerseys screamed “Caitlin! Caitlin!”
A pair of fans from Portland who were Iowa transplants watched intently. Scot Northern wore an Iowa jersey with Clark’s No. 22 with her name on the back. His wife Kati, an Iowa graduate, also had an Iowa jersey with the No. 20 for Kate Martin, a Clark teammate who had nine points and five rebounds for the Valkyries Thursday night.
Scot received the tickets from his wife as a birthday gift.
“I had never been a women’s basketball fan. I had never even watched a game until the Hawkeyes (at Iowa),” Scot Northern said. “Now I’m just totally hooked on the WNBA. We’ve got WNBA League Pass. Portland’s getting a team next year, so just the chance to come here and see this matchup, it’s the best birthday present ever.”
The Northerns paid $700 per ticket for seats nearly at floor level, plus airfare and hotel. Afterward, outside the arena, they didn’t seem to mind that much that Clark and the Fever had a rough night.
“It was great. Not the outcome we wanted but a great experience,” Scot Northern said.
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever was welcomed to San Francisco before an 88-77 win by the Valkyries at Chase Center. Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group
Clark, who spoke before the game but not after it, is cognizant of her importance and takes being a role model seriously. She’s a polished interview subject and her pregame conference was standing room only, as it is at virtually every venue.
I asked her about living life in the public eye at age 23.
“I feel at this point I’m pretty used to it. There is a lot of people that maybe this their first time to see us play. It’s my first time in San Francisco,” Clark said. “It’s still fun for me. There’s a lot of people that would want to be in my shoes and have those types of opportunities.
“It’s good to remind yourself there are always eyes on you. My mom has reminded me of that since I was a kid. Even as a high school player, there are young girls wanting to be like you and you’ve got to set the best example you can 100 percent of the time. It’s my responsibility to help grow this game. There are some days that are harder than others but every day I remind myself I’m just lucky and fortunate.”
Indiana interim coach Austin Kelly marvels at the way Clark deals with the notoriety.
“You forget how young she is and how new to the league she is,” Kelly said. “It’s been really good to watch such a young player handle it with such grace.”
Clark’s done enough media to stray from potential land mines. She and the Fever were involved in a scuffle Tuesday night with Connecticut. Clark, who has gotten the Stephen Curry rough stuff treatment to throw her off her game, was poked in the eye and then shoved to the floor by Marina Mabrey. The league looked at it and then upgraded Mabrey’s foul to a Flagrant 2.
It was the only question Clark wouldn’t touch.
I think (coach Stephanie White) talked about it plenty after the last game and it is what it is,” Clark said. “You move on and my focus is just about tonight.”
Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell said the loss wasn’t as much about Clark’s issues as it was about the Valkyries.
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“It’s not about Caitlin specifically,” Mitchell said. “Our entire group was soft. They made us pay by being stronger, by being tougher. Fifty-fifty balls, deflections, getting in the passing lanes. We allowed it. We kind of tucked our tail tonight on the aggression side and that’s our downfall right now.”
Clark has watched the Valkyries closely because of her friendship with Martin, so Thursday night probably came as no surprise.
“These people aren’t just showing up in a seat and checking a box about being here,” Clark said. “They seem like they’re here to support and cheer and appreciate women’s basketball and that’s the coolest thing. They want to be part of it and be that sixth player to help this team win.”
