Fever veterans getting acclimated to new experience with Caitlin Clark in basketball-rich Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — DeWanna Bonner signed with Indiana to win a third WNBA championship.

She never anticipated the local welcoming committee would find her in grocery store produce sections, along the streets of Indianapolis or anywhere else she visits.

Bonner isn't just recognizable because she stands 6-foot-4 or is already a fan favorite in this basketball-frenzied state. The 37-year-old veteran is getting a glimpse into what it's like to be a teammate of the WNBA's top drawing card, Caitlin Clark.

“Everywhere I go, it's like, ‘We’re excited for the season, thank you for being here,' so it's been really refreshing,” Bonner said, noting it is a different level of attention than she experienced playing with Phoenix and Connecticut. “The eyes are on you here; the lights are bright.”

Thanks to a cadre of young stars including rookie Paige Bueckers, along with the budding rivalries around the league — notably Clark and Angel Reese — the spotlight is shining brightly on the WNBA. Their ascension, with stars such as A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Britney Griner still playing at a high level, is bringing record-setting attention to televised WNBA games.

Bonner is another of those veterans still playing well. She starts this season ranked third in league history in games played (502) and seven points short of surpassing Tina Thompson (7,488) for No. 3 on the career scoring list. She's also a six-time All-Star and two-time all-WNBA selection.

But even someone as accomplished as Bonner can't overshadow Clark, last year's WNBA rookie of the year. Clark helped the Fever snap a seven-year playoff drought as Indiana shattered league records for home attendance, road attendance and total attendance. As Clark was breaking the league's single season assists record the WNBA enjoyed record TV ratings.

The intrigue has only grown this year. With a star-studded cast of title-winning veterans, like Bonner, now surrounding Clark, expectations and interest continue to soar. Indiana tips off the 2025 season Saturday hosting Reese and the Sky.

Indiana drew more than 12,400 fans to its only home preseason game even though Clark sat out with a leg injury. Their second game, played at Clark's alma mater, Iowa, sold out in 42 minutes, drew record ticket prices on the secondary market and attracted 1.3 million viewers — larger than all but two NBA preseason telecasts since 2010.

That made Indiana an easy choice for the veterans seeking one-year deals as they await a new collective bargaining agreement.

“Who doesn't want to play in front of sold out crowds at home and when you're away?” Indiana center Aliyah Boston said. “You have a bunch of people wearing Fever jerseys wherever you play. I think that's so important because you know you're always going to have a family coming from the fans because they're always going to cheer you on.”

The experience of being Clark's teammate includes dealing with long lines of fans, hordes of autograph seekers at every stop, dozens of nationally televised games and, of course, answering so many questions about Clark.

Longtime WNBA player and new Fever forward Natasha Howard is embracing the atmosphere.

Howard is returning to Indiana after spending her first two seasons in Indy, the second during Stephanie White's first tenure as head coach. White, Indiana's original No. 22, has returned in the same capacity.

Howard, however, comes back with a new perspective after winning the 2017 WNBA title with former Minnesota All-Star Maya Moore, two titles with Sue Bird in Seattle and two playoff appearances as teammates of Stewart and Ionescu in New York.

“It feels good to be playing with Caitlin, a true point guard who controls the floor,” Howard said. “I see her leadership in practice, the way she talks in huddles. I think it's because she did it at Iowa for four years, but I feel like she wouldn't be in that category with the superstars if she wasn't a good leader.”

Clark has grown accustomed to the fanfare over the past three seasons, the first two as a breakout college phenom at Iowa and last season as the most watched rookie in league history. Now everyone wants to see what she'll do for an encore.

Bonner believes Indiana now has the elements Clark and the Fever need to take that next step.

“They want to win, that's all I needed to hear. They wanted to win, they wanted to be led," Bonner said. “They didn't have any experience last year in the playoffs, so this is totally different. But I've also been following them a little bit because no one understands playing in this type of environment but the people who have done it.”

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Fans watch Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark warm up before an exhibition women's basketball game against Brazil, Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston (7) drives around Brazil forward Licinara Bispo, second from left, during the first half of an exhibition women's basketball game, Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, left, hugs Iowa coach Jan Jensen, right, after an exhibition women's basketball game against Brazil, Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Brazil guard Izabela Leite (23) talks with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, center right, after an exhibition women's basketball game, Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark signs autographs after an exhibition women's basketball game against Brazil, Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

ST. LOUIS (AP) — World champions Ilia Malinin and the ice dance duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates will anchor one of the strongest U.S. Figure Skating teams in history when they head to Italy for the Milan Cortina Olympics in less than a month.

Malinin, fresh off his fourth straight national title, will be the prohibitive favorite to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Chen by delivering another men's gold medal for the American squad when he steps on the ice at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Chock and Bates, who won their record-setting seventh U.S. title Saturday night, also will be among the Olympic favorites, as will world champion Alysa Liu and women's teammate Amber Glenn, fresh off her third consecutive national title.

U.S. Figure Skating announced its full squad of 16 athletes for the Winter Games during a made-for-TV celebration Sunday.

"I'm just so excited for the Olympic spirit, the Olympic environment," Malinin said. “Hopefully go for that Olympic gold.”

Malinin will be joined on the men's side by Andrew Torgashev, the all-or-nothing 24-year-old from Coral Springs, Florida, and Maxim Naumov, the 24-year-old from Simsbury, Connecticut, who fulfilled the hopes of his late parents by making the Olympic team.

Vadim Naumov and Evgenia Shishkova were returning from a talent camp in Kansas when their American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy Potomac River in January 2025. One of the last conversations they had with their son was about what it would take for him to follow in their footsteps by becoming an Olympian.

“We absolutely did it,” Naumov said. “Every day, year after year, we talked about the Olympics. It means so much in our family. It's what I've been thinking about since I was 5 years old, before I even know what to think. I can't put this into words.”

Chock and Bates helped the Americans win team gold at the Beijing Games four years ago, but they finished fourth — one spot out of the medals — in the ice dance competition. They have hardly finished anywhere but first in the years since, winning three consecutive world championships and the gold medal at three straight Grand Prix Finals.

U.S. silver medalists Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik also made the dance team, as did the Canadian-born Christina Carreira, who became eligible for the Olympics in November when her American citizenship came through, and Anthony Ponomarenko.

Liu was picked for her second Olympic team after briefly retiring following the Beijing Games. She had been burned out by years of practice and competing, but stepping away seemed to rejuvenate the 20-year-old from Clovis, California, and she returned to win the first world title by an American since Kimmie Meissner stood atop the podium two decades ago.

Now, the avant-garde Liu will be trying to help the U.S. win its first women's medal since Sasha Cohen in Turin in 2006, and perhaps the first gold medal since Sarah Hughes triumphed four years earlier at the Salt Lake City Games.

Her biggest competition, besides a powerful Japanese contingent, could come from her own teammates: Glenn, a first-time Olympian, has been nearly unbeatable the past two years, while 18-year-old Isabeau Levito is a former world silver medalist.

"This was my goal and my dream and it just feels so special that it came true,” said Levito, whose mother is originally from Milan.

The two pairs spots went to Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the U.S. silver medalists, and the team of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe.

The top American pairs team, two-time reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, were hoping that the Finnish-born Efimova would get her citizenship approved in time to compete in Italy. But despite efforts by the Skating Club of Boston, where they train, and the help of their U.S. senators, she did not receive her passport by the selection deadline.

“The importance and magnitude of selecting an Olympic team is one of the most important milestones in an athlete's life,” U.S. Figure Skating CEO Matt Farrell said, "and it has such an impact, and while there are sometimes rules, there is also a human element to this that we really have to take into account as we make decisions and what's best going forward from a selection process.

“Sometimes these aren't easy," Farrell said, “and this is not the fun part.”

The fun is just beginning, though, for the 16 athletes picked for the powerful American team.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Amber Glenn competes during the women's free skating competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Alysa Liu skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Maxim Naumov skates during the "Making Team USA" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates skate during the "Making the Team" performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Gold medalist Ilia Malinin arrives for the metal ceremony after the men's free skate competition at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)