Getty Caitlin Clark won the Fever's halfcourt shooting contest on Monday.
Caitlin Clark put her sharp-shooting on full display to cap off the second day of the Indiana Fever training camp.
She launched the ball from midcourt to sink a basket at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday in Indianapolis. Clark won her team’s halfcourt shooting contest and the video of her doing so went viral on Monday night.
“[Caitlin Clark] wins the first halfcourt shot contest of the season…but [Kelsey Mitchell] says she needs to back up,” the Fever social media team exclaimed on X, formerly Twitter.
“She needs to start all the way back there because her regular shot starts right here!,” the Fever added.
Caitlin Clark wins the first halfcourt shot contest of the season…but Kelsey Mitchell says she needs to back up 😂
“She needs to start all the way back there because her regular shot starts right here!”
It’s not completely new for Clark to shoot from that far away or almost that far. She claimed the all-time NCAA scoring record that way for both women and men in February.
Clark launched the ball from near the Iowa Hawkeyes logo during the first half of a February 15 game against Michigan. She eclipsed “Pistol” Pete Maravich‘s old record of 3,667 and capped the night with a Hawkeyes-record 49 points.
Her dominance at Iowa led the Fever to select her with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15. Clark’s superstardom took off this year throughout the process, which included a record-breaking women’s Final Four for viewership.
Caitlin Clark Had to Persevere Through Failure to Hit NCAA Record
While Clark is an electrifying shooter, she also persevered with a .462 field goal percentage and .377 three-point percentage at Iowa. She took 2,798 shots and 1,452 three-pointers en route to the all-time scoring mark.
“Not everything is going to be perfect. … I’m a perfectionist, but I’m at my best when I allow myself a little grace and not expecting everything to go how it should. At the same time, that’s what allowed me to be so great,” Clark said during her introductory press conference on April 17.
With Fever training camp underway, preseason action will tip-off soon. Clark and the Fever will visit the Dallas Wings on Friday.
Caitlin Clark’s ‘Big Sister’ on the Team
While Clark has reached superstardom before her first WNBA game, she’s still a rookie. Fever guard Erica Wheeler has been particularly conscientious of that.
“I put it as like, you know, when you go to a different school, the first day of school you don’t know anybody,” Wheeler told reporters on Tuesday. “Then, you find that one person that says hi to you, and they become your best friend.
“For me, I just wanted to get ahead of it because I know this transition is tough,” Wheeler added.
Clark, who has been on center stage for months, appreciates the personal outreach by Wheeler. The veteran guard enters ninth season in the league.
“I think she’s somebody that simply wants the best for people, no matter what,” Clark told reporters.
“People can say that, but she really lives it, every day, and you can tell that she’s going to push me, hold me accountable, she’s going to find ways to help me learn, but at the same time, she’s going to have my back every single day, and that’s something I’m really grateful for coming into this league, having a vet that really wants the best for you is special,” Clark added.
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Caitlin Clark Goes Viral in Fever Halfcourt Shooting Contest [Watch]