INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever GM Lin Dunn knows the Caitlin Clark effect is coming. In fact, it’s already started. More than 6,000 fans turned out for the Fever’s WNBA Draft party at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday, more fans than 17 of the team’s 20 home games last season, mainly due to the anticipation of the Iowa star being selected first by the Fever.
This wasn’t a normal turnout, especially for someone who was hundreds of miles away in New York, but Clark isn’t a normal player. She became a rock star at Iowa, and that show will soon continue alongside 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston on an even bigger stage. A stage that now includes championship expectations, according to Dunn.
Dunn, in her third season as the Indiana Fever GM, was the Seattle Storm coach and GM when it drafted Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird with back-to-back No. 1 picks in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Although Dunn resigned from the Storm after the 2002 season, Jackson and Bird eventually led the franchise to two championships in 2004 and 2010. Dunn believes Boston and Clark could have similar title potential as a duo.
“It doesn’t happen very often, and so when it does happen and you can look back historically, it usually means that it leads to championships,” Dunn said. “I think this is the…
