Caitlin Clark faced off against a couple of her former teammates on Wednesday, including ex-Iowa co-star Kate Martin and ex-Fever forward Temi Fagbenle, during the Valkyries-Fever matchup. Before the game, Clark and Fagbenle had a heartfelt exchange, which was captured on video by a fan at the arena.
Clark can seemingly be heard saying "I miss you" to Fagbenle. Here's the clip that went viral on X:
Fegbenle returned to the WNBA after five years with the Fever in 2024. She played 22 games, starting twice. The 32-year-old averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds on 50.9% shooting, playing 18.9 minutes per contest. The Valkyries picked her up on a team-friendly $90,000 contract this year.
She has started 12 out of 13 games, averaging a career-high 8.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 1.2 spg, shooting 52.7% for Golden State. The Fever left her unprotected during the expansion draft after their plans to bring in former champion DeWanna Bonner to bolster the team's frontcourt depth. On paper, the deal made sense at the time.
However, several unfortunate incidents transpired since then. Bonner demanded to leave the Fever after only nine games. She had a reduced role after losing her starting spot and seeing her averages dip to a career-low 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds. Bonner joined the Mercury after being waived, where she reunited with her fiancée, Alyssa Thomas.
After Caitlin Clark and Temi Fagbenle's exchange, Fever fans wished the team retained the former Fever forward over opting to make a splash on the failed DeWanna Bonner experiment.
Here's how fans reacted to Wednesday's clip:
Indiana Fever fail to make Caitlin Clark's return count
Caitlin Clark returned after five games from a groin injury. However, the Fever slipped in the standings with their 10th loss, second to the WNBA's newest team, the Golden State Valkyries, after an 81-60 defeat at home. The Valkyries' swarming defense got to the Fever for the second time this season.
They limited Clark to only 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting and the Fever to 30.9% shooting. Kelsey Mitchell (12 points) and Mikayla Timpson (10 points) were the only other players to score in double digits for Indiana. Meanwhile, the Valkyries rode off a team effort, but mainly behind All-Star Kayla Thornton's 18 and Veronica Burton's 21 points.