Caitlin Clark Explains Money-Related Excitement About First WNBA Trophy Opportunity

Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark conveyed her intrigue about playing in her first WNBA (in-season) championship game.

Jun 17, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) in the second half against the Connecticut Sun at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever improved their record to 6-5 on the 2025 WNBA season on June 17, after a hard-fought (literally) victory against the Connecticut Sun.

However, this win had much more meaning than just any other regular-season contest for Indiana. Since they won and the New York Liberty beat the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday, it meant that the Fever will play in the second-ever WNBA Commissioner's Cup Championship Game against the Minnesota Lynx on July 1.

For those unaware, the Commissioner's Cup is, according to the WNBA website, "an annual in-season competition... The team from each conference with the top record in Commissioner’s Cup games will compete for a $500,000 prize pool in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship presented by Coinbase. In addition, Coinbase has committed $120,000 in cryptocurrency to the prize pool, which includes $5,000 for each player in the championship game."

And because the Fever won the Eastern Conference, they're facing off against the Lynx, who won the Western Conference part of the competition.

Star guard Caitlin Clark spoke to the media after Tuesday's win and addressed getting to play for the Commissioner's Cup Championship, which marks her first chance at winning a WNBA trophy.

"Yeah, I mean obviously, we're excited. That's a big deal. And obviously New York helped us out a little bit to get there," Clark said about getting to the championship game, per an X post from Scott Agness. "And it's a hard thing to do. And why wouldn't we celebrate that? We're getting to play for a pool of money, that's pretty fun. And you're competing to win a trophy.

"It's an extra game for us to get better, as well. So obviously, we celebrated it, and we're proud of that," she added.

Schedule update: WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship will be Fever at Lynx at 8 ET on July 1.

$500K player prize pool on the line.

— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) June 18, 2025

The Fever certainly have an added incentive to win that July 1 game against the Lynx, who currently hold an 11-1 record (although the Commissioner's Cup championship game doesn't count toward a team's regular season record).