INDIANAPOLIS — The start of the WNBA regular season is just a month away and Monday night is a big night for the league with the 2025 draft.
This year though, you won’t find the Indiana Fever at the top of the draft. The team held the number eight pick before a trade that brought Sophie Cunningham and Jaelyn Brown to Indy. The Fever will pick in the second round with the 19th, 20th, and 33rd picks.
The Fever were busy in the off-season with free agents signing. The team added seven new players including Natasha Howard, Dewanna Bonner, Sydney Colson, and Brianna Turner. They’re veteran pieces to build around Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.
“Really excited about the direction we’ve been able to go. I think when we set out in free agency it was to bring in veteran leadership and we’ve done that, players who have had deep playoff runs, we’ve done that,” said Amber Cox the fever General Manager.
WRTV spoke with sports broadcaster Jake Query who says the biggest addition may have been new Fever head coach Stephanie White. He says White can help Clark manage expectations off the court.
“Caitlin Clark on the court, clearly we saw knows exactly what needs to be done, but I think all of the expectation that goes into it is a big part of it. Then it comes down to facilitating making sure not only are you taking advantage of her skill set but that you’re getting players that can as well compliment her. I think they’ve done that, clearly she is the piece that they are utilizing as the center of all of it,” said Query. “There’s no reason to believe, I think the WNBA had to be disappointed a year ago that they didn’t get a home game, that they got eliminated early in the playoffs, I think this year you’re looking for barring injury them to make a much deeper run. I think the league, not saying they would set up for that, but they would love to see it.”
The WNBA continues to break records. In 2024, the WNBA broke the record for single-game attendance and highest total attendance. On top of that, it was the most-watched regular season in 24 years with most games averaging close to or more than one million viewers.
The draft starts at 7:30 pm on ESPN.
