As a slew of basketball fans crowded outside the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on April 15, 2024. Why not? The highly-touted “generational talent” out of Iowa City would soon be announced at the first-overall pick and the fans in the sold-out venues wanted to experience her make yet another history as she did in the last couple of years as a Hawkeye. As her first task, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced– “With the first pick, in the 2024 WNBA draft, the Indiana Fever select– Caitlin Clark– University of Iowa.” Amongst the hundreds of thousands of fans in the Gainbridge Fieldhouse were three faces that would eventually become the closest friends the Iowa sensation would have– Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, and… Erica Wheeler. 

From the moment Clark met Wheeler, the veteran set her bond to the then rookie straight– “I’m her older sister.” Sharing her bling on the media day, giving up her spot as the primary point guard of the Fever, calming her competitive fiery energy down, and telling her all the As and Bs and Cs of the league, there she was–Wheeler, Clark’s older sister. Even till the end of the regular season, in a game against the Dallas Wings, when the No. 22 could’ve picked her seventh and final technical before ejection, Wheeler and Aliyah Boston broke her off from a heated conversation with the referee. However, while the two enjoyed their connection throughout Fever’s run, the offseason presented a tough dilemma to their front office– 

Core Kelsey Micthell, the shooting guard who has produced effective numbers throughout her 7-season run with Indiana; or keep Wheeler, another veteran who was right there when the Fever had its last playoff run in 2016. Logically, they chose Mitchell, who was a “priority” for them. Wheeler, as a result, found a new home in HC Noelle Quinn’s Seattle Storm. On Tuesday, the two met for the very first time as opponents since the 34-year-old was let go from Indiana. But the bond? Christine Brenon re-shared the moment for those who missed that game.

Brennan, who is working on her new book, On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports, since last year, tweeted, “I was traveling tonight and missed the game but these photos capture one of my favorite stories in my upcoming book: How Erica Wheeler looked out for Caitlin Clark last season even though she lost her starting job when Clark arrived. When sports are good, they’re great.”

In the tweet were two images attached. The one on the left came from when they met during warm ups before the game, with Wheeler, with the usual smile on her face, was telling Clark something. And the latter, intently listening to her “older sister.” The second photo came from a moment during the game, that truly showed the care Wheeler still had for the point guard who came in as a rookie to her former team.

With just 16.2 seconds left in the game, Indiana HC Stephanie White called for a reset timeout, solely for the purpose of practicing this late-game situation in real time if it would present itself later in the season. Aliyah Boston inbounded the ball from Sophie Cunningham on the sidelines and threw it to Clark who also entered the game only for this play. But as she went behind the ball, she seemingly twisted her right ankle.

Taking a few seconds to get up, she walked off the court. However, before that, there was Wheeler, who was guarding the No. 22. She had her hand on Clark’s back throughout this time and when the latter was walking off, she kept asking “You alright?” Clark even nodded and gave her a quick slap on the hand. And that there was, the bond, the care, all returning, even when the uniforms had changed. And turns out, Brenan, in her book on Clark, will be making sure that the veteran Wheeler gets her due credit in shaping the face of the league.

Even after huddling with her new team, Wheeler was the first to go to Indy’s bench and meet her former team. The protectiveness, that’s exactly what the Fever fans want to see the current Indiana teammates give Clark, as she continues to nurse her left quad injury she faced after the New York Liberty loss and although she’s been playing, she’s clearly not back to her finest form. But this care did not take away the competition the two had. So, how did these two match up when they faced off for the first time as opponents?

Caitlin Clark wins against Erica Wheeler despite a poor outing

The Indiana Fever managed to beat the Seattle Storm 94-86 and managed to break their recent negative run of results. What made the victory even sweeter? They did it despite Caitlin Clark’s continued shooting struggles. To win without Clark, against a red-hot team coming off a 3-game winning streak against big teams like the Aces and the New York Liberty along with the LA Sparks certainly shows their growth. However, Clark did support the team’s offense with her impressive 9 assists and 3 steals on the night when she only shot 3 of 13 from the field for 6 points.

Erica Wheeler had a great game, finishing with 20 points on 6-13 shooting. Wheeler may have delivered a standout performance, but knowing the competitor she is, the win would’ve meant far more than any personal stat line.

But no doubt, it was nice to see Erica Wheeler still share a deep bond with Caitlin Clark. Although Sophie Cunningham seems to have taken up the Wheeler role as the protector of Clark with her antics against the Connecticut Sun, the void left by Erica still shows at times. Do you think the Fever miss Wheeler? Let us know in the comments down below!