If you have ever attended one of Mercury’s games, you would know what “Spicy Sopharita” tastes like. It is Sophie Cunningham’s signature cocktail and has all the right hints of Spicy Sophie. Now, when she was traded to the Fever, everyone expected her to bring that flair and aggressiveness and live up to her nickname. She knew it herself, as she said after her first preseason game, “I want to pour into my team as much as possible”. And she proved it too, taking charge in Caitlin Clark’s absence. But then came the second game, and with Clark’s return to Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, it was supposed to be all about the reigning ROTY, right? Except that Cunningham went all in and not in a way you would have expected.

Well, the Fever’s preseason game against Brazil was all hyped up around the Hawkeye’s megastar’s return. After all, she is Iowa’s star who brought unprecedented visibility to the city. But Sophie Cunningham had her eyes set on one goal: stealing the thunder. You see, the Hawkeye planted a ‘Clark 22’ logo on the court that represents the exact spot where Clark hit a three to take sole ownership of the NCAA’s all-time women’s scoring mark. An iconic moment of CC’s career. Now just check out Sophie’s ‘devilish’ idea about the same?

As per the recorded video shared by @correlation, Sophie Cunningham was seen making big claims from the sidelines after the warmups. Pointing at the special ‘Clark 22’ logo on the court, Sophie said, “I’m gonna hit one beyond that. it’s gonna have number 8 SC“. Everyone around shared a laugh as Fever’s new star walked away into the locker room.

But, of course, as things turned out, Clark really said, “Go farther,” as she established her legacy as a long-range shooter at the Arena. She hit her fourth three-pointer of the game from beyond the logo, pulling up 36 feet out. She casually dribbled towards the spot and nailed it with one defender after her back. And the way she jogged back? Smiling at the broadcast desk? That is sure to have given Cunningham a competitive smirk, too.

Caitlin, aware of her action, was later seen talking about the shot with her teammates as she asked Lexie Hull, “Did it get loud in here?” While Lexie first almost shook her head with a confirming ‘YES’, she soon boarded Cunningham’s train, who said, “When you scored? No“. Hull then added, “No one really cared,” followed by another Spicy take, “You gotta be better,” said Cunningham.

Okay, maybe not spicy—but definitely playful. Just a light-hearted moment, and we love to see teammates bonding like this. So when Caitlin Clark sank that signature deep shot from the logo, Sophie Cunningham wasted no time posting it on her Instagram story, hyping up the Fever’s superstar guard. That’s the kind of chemistry you want to see—little moments of support that build something bigger. The Fever are piecing it all together, one connection at a time. And while that one shot stole the spotlight, there was plenty more to take away from the game.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever could break multiple records in 2025

The Indiana Fever game against the Brazil national team was another record thanks to Caitlin Clark. The sale of tickets for Clark’s return game sold out in just 42 minutes, with 15,000 fans packed in. The average price for the pre-season game was $650, the highest for any WNBA game since 2015. Then it had barely been thirty seconds, when Clark drained a pull-up three from the top of the arc. Those were the first WNBA points scored at the arena.

Another record set was the Indiana Fever vs Brazil was the first-ever WNBA game at CHA, and it was broadcast on ESPN. The game itself produced an offensive masterclass from the Fever side. They scored 108 points with four of the starters in double points. But it doesn’t end here.

As for viewership, it is also expected to touch an all-time high. Even Sue Bird predicted that the team’s season opener against the Chicago Sky could pull more than 3 million viewers! “We haven’t seen Caitlin Clark play in a while… and it’s against Angel Reese,” Bird said. “So my guess is we’re gonna see like 3-plus million (viewers), which I’m sure will smash some record”.

Not shocking at all! Especially with the staff, coaching, and roster changes, the Fever are poised to make a deeper run than ever before. Think Ariel Atkins, Courtney Vandersloot, Hailey Van Lith, Ajsa Sivka, Maddy Westbeld, and Aicha Coulibaly! And they anyway are set to have 41 of 44 games to be nationally televised. So, yes, it is definitely shaping up to be an exciting season.