Caitlin Clark leads Fever to 89-78 win over Storm after WNBA snub

The WNBA’s marketing department might want to log off for a while.

Just days after choosing Fever rookie Raven Johnson over Caitlin Clark to front the promotional graphics for Sunday’s matchup against the Seattle Storm, Indiana took the court and let the box score settle the discourse.

Indiana secured an 89-78 victory over Seattle. The real story was the contrast between the league’s chosen promotional face and the team’s actual focal point, made more noticeable by the sudden absence of the team’s other primary star, Aliyah Boston.

With Boston ruled out just before tip-off due to a lower leg injury, the spotlight on Caitlin Clark intensified. Clark, who was left out of the league’s official pre-game marketing material despite a 30-point performance against the Mystics, proved why she is the biggest draw in women’s basketball.

Shouldering a heavier load without Boston in the paint, Clark torched the Storm defense. She finished with a team-high 21 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.

OutKick founder Clay Travis criticized the league’s decision. “Was Michael Jordan ever not the lead graphic on any Bulls game when he was a member of the team?” he said. “You can say this is a small thing, but I would guarantee you Bill Cartwright, Luc Longley and Bill Wennington never got the promo graphic over Jordan. Sell the stars! Marketing 101.”

On the other side was Johnson. Thrust into the spotlight as the unexpected poster child for the Fever in the WNBA’s promotional rollout, Johnson’s on-court production did not match her sudden marketing billing. In 17 minutes off the bench, Johnson scored zero points.

While her defensive energy contributed to the team’s depth, a scoreless night highlighted the decision to elevate a backup guard over the most prolific scorer in basketball history, especially on a night when the team was already missing its star center.

Indiana walked away with a win, and the WNBA walked away with another lesson in who actually drives the bus.