More than 12,000 people went into the Commissioner’s Cup final expecting a hard-fought contest. Instead? It was a blow-out that nobody could have foretold. Think about how far the Indiana Fever has come! They went from a seven-year playoff drought, to having two good years back-to-back. The team, led by veteran Natasha Howard, were still recuperating from the crucial loss of Caitlin Clark, who missed her third straight game due to a groin injury. However, that didn’t stop them from schooling their opponents, blowing them out by 15 points!

Stephanie White’s team showed us that even through adversity, they are built for championships and nothing else. The Fever really needed this morale booster, especially considering all the recent troubles that have been plaguing them: Clark’s frequent injuries, DeWanna Bonner’s shady exit, and the Cunningham situation.

It was Howard, the reliable veteran presence, who played a crucial role in the Cup final, putting up an impressive 16-point, 12-rebound double-double. No doubt, the team was quite impressive last night, but what they did after was even more special! The Indiana Fever shared how winning the Commissioner’s Cup final actually helped them propagate for peace and justice as well.

According to the Fever’s latest Instagram post, their in-season campaign between June 1 to 17 led to $23,000 being raised for the Peace Learning Center, their official non-profit recipient for the tournament. Their 4-2 record earned them $3000 per win, and $1000 per loss, but winning it all? Another 10 grand towards the non-profit organization.

The half-a-million-dollar payout definitely wasn’t the highlight of last night. Indiana’s perseverance through troubled times and their dedication towards social work was truly admirable. And even though none of this matters for their standings, they still proved that they could win without their superstar. Speaking of Clark, however, what was she doing all this time? We know that the six-foot-tall point guard has been suffering through a groin injury, but she definitely played an active part during the Commissioner’s Cup finals and the corresponding celebrations.

Caitlin Clark shows up for Indiana Fever celebrations despite her injured state

Champagne bottles, goggles, and photobombs summed up Indiana’s celebrations last night. They beat Minnesota at home and stole the in-season trophy from the defending champs! Of course, they were gonna celebrate. But one notable absence in the Fever lineup was Caitlin Clark, who was sitting out her third straight game because of a groin injury.

Everyone wanted to see CC in action during the Commissioner’s Cup finals, but alas, it was not meant to be. The Fever guard was on the bench, as energetic as ever, cheering her teammates on during their historic victory! Because let’s be real, there’s no bigger team player than Caitlin Clark. We can see it in her style of playing, and we can see it in the way she fights for her peers.

Naturally, she was a huge part of the celebrations as well! We all know that Caitlin Clark is multi-talented, but bartending? And that too out of the Commissioner’s Cup? That was an incredibly left-field development. “The trophy is multi-functional.” A post by the WNBA said as Clark was shown using the trophy as a champagne glass for her teammates!

Caitlin Clark deserved to play last night, but it’s better for everyone if the Indiana star just takes some time to rest and recover. She’ll be needed later on in the season, when the going gets tough. It will be interesting to see how CC manages to maintain rhythm through all of these injuries, and whether her addition will be enough to win Indiana the cup.