Despite a dominant offense and Caitlin Clark's return, the Indiana Fever suffered another early exit from the WNBA playoffs. A week before a deciding Game 3 against the Las Vegas Aces, forward Myisha Hines-Allen set the franchise's expectations plainly: "it's championship or bust." Those hopes were high after a semifinal appearance in 2025, and the Fever delivered on offense, posting the No. 1 offense in WNBA history with 96.0 points per game in the regular season. Kelsey Mitchell (24.7 points per game) and Clark (22.3) ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in scoring and were the highest-scoring teammates in league history.
The season was shadowed by off-court drama. A late-season slump dropped Indiana to the No. 6 seed, and the team fell in a best-of-three first round to the defending champion Aces. Within 48 hours of the loss, a new controversy emerged when Mitchell appeared to contradict GM Amber Cox's defense of the Fever fanbase, referencing troubling fan behavior and the scrutiny that comes with playing alongside Clark.
On the court, Mitchell set the league record for most points scored (1,086) and most 3-point field goals (135), while scoring 20-plus points in a WNBA-record 27 consecutive games. Aliyah Boston earned her fourth straight All-Star selection, and Clark became the first player in league history to score 40-plus points with 10-plus assists in a single game. She also took part in the FIBA World Cup, which won gold in September.
As Boston put it, "Not every season's perfect." Clark called 2026 one of the most fulfilling years of her career, adding that she still sees many areas to improve. Her first signature shoe with Nike, the Caitlin 1, released last week.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing