Aari McDonald’s Funny Moment With Caitlin Clark Resurfaces After Fever Signing

The former Sparks guard took her job of guarding Clark very, very seriously last year.

LA Sparks guard Aari McDonald (15) is introduced before the game against the Seattle Storm at Crypto.com Arena. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark's new Fever teammate already knows her well—maybe a little too well.

The Indiana Fever announced on Monday they were signing guard Aari McDonald via the WNBA's hardship exemption after losing three guards to injury six games into the young season. Clark is set to miss at least the next two games due to a quad strain, while Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson both got hurt during the Fever's 85-83 loss to the Connecticut Sun. The severity of their injuries are not yet known.

Amid a challenging stretch of games for the Fever, McDonald's signing should provide a much-needed jolt of energy to an offense that just hasn't looked the same without their superstar guard.

McDonald and Clark actually share a bit of on-court history dating back to last year, when the then-Los Angeles Sparks guard was tasked with guarding the to-be Rookie of the Year.

During a Fever-Sparks matchup in 2024, McDonald could be seen doggedly following Clark wherever she went on the court. At one point in the game, McDonald stepped up to the charity stripe for a pair of free throws. She sank the first and then immediately sought out Clark and got right up in her face, prepared to defend what she thought was the Fever's ensuing inbounds play.

A nearby ref had to point out to McDonald that she still had a free throw to shoot, which was a pretty funny moment:

When you’re so obsessed with guarding a rookie 90 feet that you forget the second FT 💀 pic.twitter.com/kR03MXK6aP

— skol ✈️ (@ldnHawk) May 29, 2024

"Kind person, honestly," Clark said of McDonald in a press conference after that game.

McDonald may not get to share the court with Clark for long this season depending on when Cunningham and Colson return (once the Fever have 10 game-eligible players on the roster, McDonald's contract will be up). But you can probably still expect to see Clark cheering on her former adversary on Tuesday night, when the Fever will look to snap their three-game losing streak against the Washington Mystics.

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