For the first time in the 2026 WNBA season, Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu locked horns with each other. But when the New York Liberty vs Indiana Fever game finally tipped off, the broadcasters couldn’t help but take fans on a trip down memory lane as they revisited a recruiting story that could have sent CC down a very different career path.
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“These two do go back a little ways, actually,” a broadcaster said during the telecast.
“Yeah, they go way back. And back in college, well, Sabrina told us this morning, ‘I gave Caitlin a tour of the University of Oregon, but I guess she didn’t want to come here,'” the other added.
Back in 2020, when Clark, one of the nation’s top five-star prospects, was searching for a program that could hone her skills, the future Fever star traveled to Eugene with her dad. At that time, Sabrina Ionescu was already established as the face of Oregon basketball as she rewrote the NCAA record books.
So head coach Kelly Graves leaned on his superstar to help convince Clark that Eugene was the right place for her future. But CC chose to stay close to her home and committed to Lisa Bluder’s Iowa program, where she went on to become the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and one of the most influential players this sport has ever seen.
And for that, Sabrina Ionescu has nothing but admiration.
“To be able to see what she has been able to accomplish in college, and now at the professional level, it just helps all of us continue to push the game forward and advocate for women’s sports,” she said in 2024.
Still, as the broadcasters talked about it, fans were left wondering what if they teamed up? But even though they never became college teammates, fans did get a glimpse of “Caitbrina” during the 2025 WNBA All-Star festivities.
That brief reunion, however, is as close as fans are likely to get for now.
Both the Liberty and the Fever are firmly in the championship hunt this season, so their friendship has to take a back seat.
Sabrina Ionescu is currently averaging 13.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game for New York. Clark, meanwhile, has continued to produce through lingering back issues, averaging 20.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 7.8 assists for Indiana.
Now, as the season rolls on, all eyes will be on which of these two stars can lead their team one step closer to the WNBA Finals.