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Indiana Fever newest member Raven Johnson, who the team selected Monday 10th overall in the WNBA draft, will join forces with Caitlin Clark after a moment of tense competition between the two many years ago.
In the 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four, Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes met Johnson’s South Carolina Gamecocks. During that game, there was a point where Clark was supposed to guard Johnson, but Clark invited Johnson to team up with another South Carolina player.
The clip of Clark waving at Johnson ended up going viral, and Johnson later said it led to online mockery of him.
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April 7, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, United States; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) dribbles the ball past South Carolina Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson (25) during the Final Four game of the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. (Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports)
“I was all over the internet,” Johnson said on the “I AM NEXT” podcast in March. “That’s one of the reasons I hate the Internet now, because of that situation. I got hit, I got bullied, I got called all these things that I wasn’t, like a monkey and things like that, and I just think I wanted to quit basketball at that point, and I just wanted to go into this little isolation bubble and just be alone.”
Still, Johnson seems thrilled to now be on the same side as Clark.
After Johnson was drafted by the Fever on Monday, she said Clark was the teammate she was most excited to play with in the pros.
FEVER’S LEXIE HULL SPEAKS UP AGAINST ATTACKS ON PLAYERS AS TEAM’S POPULARITY GROWS DURING CAITLIN CLARK ERA
Raven Johnson #25 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts in the first half during the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 7, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
“Caitlin Clark,” Johnson immediately said when asked by Overtime WBB which new teammate she was most excited to play with. “… She’s a phenomenal player, with the things she does, it’s the norm. She can shoot the ball, she can lead a team and they win. She has a winning mentality, and I think that’s the most important thing.”
The Fever have solidified their roster for the 2026 season as a true championship contender.
The team recently re-signed key players Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham, while adding veteran Monique Billings in free agency.
The Fever have the fourth-best odds to win the WNBA title in 2026 behind the Minnesota Lynx, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty.
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Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives past South Carolina guard Raven Johnson, left, during the first half of the women’s NCAA Tournament Final Four college basketball championship game, Sunday, April 7, 2024, in Cleveland. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
The Fever’s season ended with a 107-98 overtime loss to the The Aces of Las Vegas in Game 5 of the WNBA Semifinals last year.
With Clark back from injury, its core intact and at least one new addition, Indiana looks to finish the job.
