Ahead of the Indiana Fever’s first home game of the season against the New York Liberty, star guard Caitlin Clark and her teammates hosted a special guest during the pregame warmups. Forward Katie Lou Samuelson had brought her eight-month-old daughter Aliya to introduce her to the team. The toddler seemed to enjoy Clark’s company the most as the two spent a considerable amount of time playing together.
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An adorable clip of the interaction was posted on Instagram by Amazon Prime Video. In the video, the baby can be seen hilariously grabbing on to Clark’s teeth as the 22-year-old tries to amuse her by making faces.
The comment section was a massive fan of the adorable interaction between the two, with some joking about Aliya pulling Clark’s jaw and others lauding the guard for entertaining the toddler. One comment jokingly pointed out that the baby would grow up and realize she had a playful moment with the ‘GOAT.’
Caitlin Clark’s adorable moment with her teammate’s kid drew some incredible reactions pic.twitter.com/MQHcr1XPWG
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) May 17, 2024
The comment section could see how gleeful Clark was when playing with Aliya, but little did they know that that would be the only thing worth smiling for the rookie guard.
Caitlin Clark’s painful home debut
The odds of Caitlin Clark and the Fever opening their home schedule with a win were low considering they were up against the reigning Eastern Conference champions, the New York Liberty. However, they couldn’t have predicted that things would go as badly as they did.
While most fans inside the Gainbridge Fieldhouse were expecting to see the rookie sensation have a stellar night, they had to be content with watching Breanna Stewart ruin the night with a 31-point performance in a 102-66 win for the Liberty.
While Clark forced her way to 20 points on her WNBA debut against the Connecticut Sun, she failed to crack double-digits in her maiden appearance in Indiana, finishing with nine points on 2-of-8 shooting from the floor. She did open her rebounding account with seven boards and also dished six assists, while committing five turnovers.
However, it was far from a performance worth celebrating, considering the Fever lost by 36.
Life in the WNBA has gotten off to a horrendous start for Clark. The Fever looked far from a team that could compete with the best teams in the league. The short training camp before the season commenced did little to help the former Iowa Hawkeyes sensation find any synergy with her teammates and get comfortable with their play style.
The rookie sensation will have to learn on the job and make adjustments on the fly to thrive in her debut season. It’s going to be a tough time for her, just as Diana Taurasi had predicted.
