The Indiana Fever recently wrapped up a season to remember despite finishing with a 20-20 record and losing in the first round of the WNBA playoffs to the Connecticut Sun.

Their standout rookie, Caitlin Clark, took the WNBA by storm, breaking records and winning numerous awards along the way. She set the single-season assist record, led the league in assists per game average, won Rookie of the Year, was named to the All-WNBA First Team and much more.

Her impact didn’t stop there. Clark’s presence has driven up television ratings, jersey sales, and ticket sales, transforming Indianapolis into a basketball city and attracting countless new fans to the Fever.

But when did she really begin to change the City? It started back in 2023 when the Fever finished with a 13-27 record, finishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and third-worst in the league. However, that wasn’t the moment.

It didn’t really pick up steam until a few months later, on Dec. 10, 2023, when the Fever won the WNBA draft lottery.

Fans began to get excited as Clark was a highly coveted prospect out of Iowa and was projected to be the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. While it seemed almost guaranteed she would go pro, she didn’t officially declare until Feb. 29, 2024.

At that point, everything changed, according to Clark’s teammate Lexie Hull, who spoke about it as a guest on the “Ringer NBA” podcast.

“I feel like once we found out we had the number one pick, and once Caitlin (Clark) declared, that kind of changed things, I think, for the city a little bit,” Hull said. “People were just so excited to come support the Fever.”

Hull also spoke about when the players began to feel the change in energy from the city.

“We felt that in our preseason games,” she added. “We felt that even on draft night. We filled Gainbridge (Fever home area), which felt crazy. We’re not even doing anything in Gainbridge, and people are excited to watch the screen and see who we draft.”

Clark would go on to help the team reach the postseason for the first time since 2016.

In her rookie season, she averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and a league-leading 8.4 assists per game.