The Wings and Fever opened their WNBA seasons on Saturday before 17,274 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The arena was “filled with fans and storylines” on Saturday in what was a “historic day for the WNBA and a huge moment” for the Wings, who outlasted the Fever 107-104. Wings G Paige Bueckers and Fever G Caitlin Clark each scored 20 points on Saturday (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/9).
Clark jerseys and T-shirts “remained a trendy favorite” for fans, as Clark’s “10-month wait to play a meaningful game on her home court finally ended.” Saturday’s nationally televised matinee “didn’t disappoint,” and the result “didn’t temper the fanfare surrounding this game.” Saturday’s crowd included a “small group of UConn jerseys,” a nod to both Bueckers and Wings G Azzi Fudd. David Letterman and Pacers G Tyrese Haliburton were “sitting courtside” (AP, 5/9).
Putting the Wings and Fever together was a “statement about the future” of the WNBA, which “turned out to be a scream, in every sense.” The table is “set for the next three decades,” and fans “already know who the centerpieces are” (THE ATHLETIC, 5/10).
