Indiana Fever On SI

Fever Fans Debate About Natasha Howard's Honest WNBA MVP Goal

Indiana Fever standout Natasha Howard asserting her desire to win WNBA MVP has fans at odds with each other.
Grant Young|
Jul 22, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings forward Natasha Howard (6) looks for the ball on a Los Angeles Sparks foul shot during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Jul 22, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings forward Natasha Howard (6) looks for the ball on a Los Angeles Sparks foul shot during the second half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Six months from now, if it were announced that a member of the Indiana Fever won the 2025 WNBA MVP award, just about every single women's basketball fan in the world would assume that the winner is star guard Caitlin Clark.

This is shown by Clark having the league's best 2025 WNBA MVP odds right now, which is a result of the strides people expect her to make in her second season after a rookie campaign where she finished fourth in MVP voting.

However, it became clear on April 30 that if Clark has her sights set on winning MVP, she's not the only Fever player to want the award.

When asked about her personal goals this year, Indiana wing Natasha Howard said, "One thing for me, I actually want to win MVP. I was close to getting it in 2019, but that's years [behind] now. But MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. But at the end, it’s holding that [championship] trophy.”

Fever fans are at odds with each other about Howard wanting to win MVP this year, with some thinking it doesn't bode well for her playing team-friendly basketball.

"I get the mentality about MVP but I hope this doesn’t mean hero ball and playing out of turn," one fan wrote.

Another wrote, "Huh?! chasing MVP dreams while being on a team led by CC, KM, and AB?! It’s not making sense 😭😭😭".

Other fans are happy to see Howard setting these high goals for herself, with one writing, "Good for Natasha! Don't let them silence you!!!!!"

"There’s nothing wrong with this, I hope every player strives to hit their ceiling," added another.

It will be fascinating to see how Howard's MVP hopes pan out this season.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever 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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