Days After Being Credited For Indiana Basketball’s Revival By Myles Turner, Caitlin Clark’s Presence At Pacers Games Leads To Otherworldly Record

Indiana basketball has seen a resurgence over the last two years, and the Pacers’ longest tenured player, Myles Turner, believes that’s largely down to Caitlin Clark. After she was drafted #1 overall to the Fever last year, the basketball scene in Indy has flourished to quite the extent

It isn’t just the WNBA side that has noticed this shifting of the tides. The Pacers made the Conference Finals last year, for the first time since the 2013-14 season, and they are one game away from reaching that stage again.

Turner has been a huge supporter of the WNBA franchise and was ecstatic last year when they won the draft lottery. There’s a certain sense of togetherness between the city’s male and female basketball teams, and nothing represents this more than the Pacers’ brilliant 6-0 playoff record with Clark in attendance. Sure, this could just be a coincidence, but it’s a trend that seems to favor the Pacers.

A few days ago, Turner penned a heartfelt ‘Players’ Tribune’ post to Indiana Basketball. Having been with the team since he got drafted 11th overall in 2015, he’s seen the sport grow in the city to a level that it hadn’t reached since Larry Bird’s days in college.

Sure, he and the Pacers are a quintessential cog in the machine that is the Pacers’ growth. Though, Turner isn’t shy to give props and credit to Clark and the Fever’s exploits in the W. He wrote:

“It’s not only us doing our thing, on our second straight playoff run with this group. But it’s also Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston and them, and they’re the biggest thing in the WNBA at a moment where it’s exploding like crazy.”

As Turner writes later in the text, the amount of reciprocal love from the Fever and the Pacers is something hardly seen in other basketball cities. Not only have Clark and Fever stars been pictured at Pacers games, but the men returned the favor last year, as the Fever made their first playoff appearance in 8 years.

After watching the Pacers pull off an unlikely Game 5 series win over the Bucks from the tunnel, CC spoke to the media about how close-knit the two franchises are. “Pacers are so fun to watch. It’s been incredible to see the state rally around them, and how they support them and us, and how the two teams support each other,” she said. “Whether it’s them coming to our games, or us going to their games.”

There’s a sense of community between the two franchises, and in the large scheme of things, it promises to be a huge deal for Indy basketball.