There is no bigger draw in the WNBA than Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, but the league seemingly failed to capitalize on her fame when it shared a graphic on social media to promote Sunday’s games.
The Fever had a night game against the Seattle Storm at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., and instead of Clark, the league used a photo of Indiana rookie guard Raven Johnson to market the showdown in the said graphic.
Do not disturb, the W is on today 😏
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 17, 2026
The @LVAces visit the @AtlantaDream for a must-watch matchup at 1:30pm/ET on NBC and Peacock.
Then, the @seattlestorm face-off against the @IndianaFever at 6pm/ET on NBCSN and Peacock. pic.twitter.com/mMDfp34EUU
Fans were quick to call out the WNBA for choosing Johnson over Clark, who is undeniably the face of the Indiana franchise and a major reason women’s basketball has reached the popularity it enjoys today.
I've never seen a super star, face of a league, so disrespected by the league like the W is to Clark. The future will write books about this sad behavior
— Eric (@SmithWric62298) May 17, 2026
Imagine the Spurs having a game and the NBA showing picture of Mason Plumlee instead of Victor Wembanyama
— James T (@James_M_O_T) May 17, 2026
— Joseph Ewing (@josephewing80) May 17, 2026
This is just moronic. This would be like the Celtics playing the Lakers back in the 80’s while promoting it on CBS with video of Quinn Buckner and Kurt Rambis.
— Chris Miller (@cdm214) May 17, 2026
The NBA didn’t F it up. You guys are idiots.
Perhaps the WNBA simply thought that it would be better to use the opportunity to give Johnson exposure in the ad rather than Clark, who doesn’t really need an introduction to fans. Johnson is a rookie selected by the Fever 10th overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft and isn’t quite a household name yet.
She’s got the potential to be a star someday, and from that angle, it makes some sense for the league to give her some shine over Clark, who’s already one of the most recognizable faces not just in the WNBA but in sports in general.
In any case, the Fever got the job done against Seattle, as they came away with an 89-78 victory, with Clark leading the way for Indiana with 21 points. Johnson came off the bench and scored 0 points with 1 assist and 3 turnovers.
