As the 2025 WNBA regular season inches toward its close, most playoff-bound teams have their rotations locked in. The Indiana Fever, on the other hand, is still flipping through résumés. With Caitlin Clark’s injuries leaving gaps, they’ve already handed out hardship contracts five times this season. The latest arrival is 9-year veteran Aerial Powers, who last played with the Golden State Valkyries. Considered a solid bench contributor throughout her WNBA career, the Indiana Fever will hope that she is the final addition to their roster, which has already seen a lot of turnover. During her nine years in the league, she has played for five franchises (six with the Indiana Fever). In this time, she has had the chance to play with a lot of talented players around the league. Upon joining the Fever, she has reunited with some of her dear friends.

When asked if she had played or had a prior connection with someone from the Indiana roster, an interesting connection came to light. She said, “Yes, like I said, Sophie, Kelsey Mitchell, she played for Ohio State, so we started our relationship early in college playing against each other. And then Shey, me and Shey won a championship together in 2019. Who else? Everybody else is kinda like hi and byes but those are the closest girls.”

Having familiar faces around can make adjusting to a new team feel less like the first day at a new school and more like a reunion. Still and all, Powers won’t get to lean on one of her best icebreakers, Sophie Cunningham, who is out for the year with an MCL tear. Also, with only eight games left in the regular season, there’s hardly any time for a slow fitting-in session. And as fate would have it, Powers came in as a replacement for Sophie. “Injuries are a part of the game, but it’s kind of weird being in this position coming in for someone injured, especially Sophie. We have a good relationship, so I was upset that she got hurt. So, um, her and along the other girls, um, wish them best health,” Powers said about Cunningham.

However, it’s not just the players, aka close girls, that Powers is excited about.

Speaking like a true fan about Stephanie White, the new Fever addition said, “

Um, actually, I’m a fan of her. um went to Michigan State, so I know a lot about everything she did at Purdue. So, I’m just excited. I’m excited to be a part of everything.” Amidst all this fan and friends talk, a past interaction of Aerial with Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston also emerged.

Even though Aerial Powers didn’t snag a spot on the 2024 WNBA All-Star roster, she still made her way to Phoenix for All-Star weekend, and honestly, she might’ve had more fun than some of the players who did suit up. Powers runs a pretty lively YouTube channel, and her second most-watched video is proof of that: a vlog from 2024 All-Star weekend. At one point, she casually plopped down courtside right next to Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston during the skills and three-point contests—as if she’d just joined a front-row group chat with two of the Fever’s biggest stars.

“All right, y’all, so we are here with Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston! I got a few questions,” Powers said to Boston and Clark, before specifically asking Clark, “First All-Star! How do you feel?” “It’s pretty fun. Cool experience. Just trying to soak it in, honestly,” Clark responded. She then asked Boston how she was feeling about the festivities, as Boston said, “Feeling good! Second All-Star [Game]. I mean, that’s fun. Entertaining”. 

It’s funny how life works. One minute, Aerial Powers is vlogging courtside next to Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, the next she’s clocking in as their teammate. Now, whether she actually shares the floor with Clark, though, is still a mystery.

Caitlin Clark Takes a Step Towards Her Return as She Finally Participates in Team Activities

After weeks of similar updates regarding Caitlin Clark, there is finally a new update regarding her return to play. For the better part of the last two weeks, Stephanie White has been saying the same thing that Caitlin is running on the court, but she has yet to practice. However, in her latest press conference, she announced that Caitlin Clark has finally participated in team activities. But, before the hype around her return got too big, White made sure to calm it down.

When the reporter asked how she sees Caitlin’s progression, she said, “Yeah, it was a good step because she got out there on the floor with us for the first time, part of the, sort of return to activity thing. But it was all very low maintenance, 5 on 0 low intensity stuff. So I think just getting her back on there, getting her comfortable and see where she goes.” While it may not seem like a lot, it is indeed good news. Especially after reports of her ankle bone bruise came out on August 20, any positive update regarding CC is a bonus.

But Caitlin Clark’s return to shootaround wasn’t the only injury update from Stephanie White. After Odyssey Sims limped off the floor against the Minnesota Lynx, fans were anxiously waiting for an update regarding her. Well, good news on that front as Odyssey Sims is available to play the return fixture against the Minnesota Lynx. However, there was also some surprise injury news. Head coach Stephanie White announced that Chloe Bibby is missing due to a knee injury.