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Caitlin Clark Sends Heartfelt Six-Word Reaction to Temi Fagbenle's Fever Farewell

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark conveyed her feelings about teammate Temi Fagbenle being taken by the Golden State Valkyries.
Grant Young|
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks down the court Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx at Gainbride Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Lynx defeated the Fever, 99-88.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks down the court Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx at Gainbride Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Lynx defeated the Fever, 99-88. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the most surprising aspects of the Golden State Valkyries WNBA Expansion Draft on Friday was that the Valkyries selected veteran forward Temi Fagbenle from the Indiana Fever.

This wasn't surprising because Fagbenle was seen as a strange or sub-par pick for Golden State. Quite the contrary, in fact, as most WNBA fans expected Fagbenle would be one of the six players Indiana elected to protect before the Expansion Draft commenced.

That ended up not being the case, and now Fagbenle will be a core part of the Valkyries' 2025 roster for their first season.

Fagbenle made an Instagram post on Saturday that showed some of her highlights from the season and wrote, "Thank you for a great season @IndianaFever

"To my teammates: we had a season of revelations and growth. So proud of all y'all for persevering. Thank you for lifting me and each other. F the noise. Keep growing together.

"Thank you for the consistent energy, Indy fans. Y'all are solid. ️‍🔥🙏🏾

"✌🏿 Very grateful. Very blessed."

The top comment on the post is from Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark, who wrote, "Love ya tem! Gonna miss you❤️".

It was clear that Clark and Fagbenle had built a strong bond with each other as the season progressed, which was displayed by their on-court chemistry and the kinship they showed when the game clock wasn't running.

Fever standout Lexie Hull also commented on the post saying, "Going to miss you Tem! ❤️❤️❤️".

It will be interesting to see how Indiana addresses this gap in their roster with Fagbenle now being gone.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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