On the opening night of the brand new 3v3 women’s basketball league – Unrivaled – fans of the sport couldn’t help but feel like something was missing.
The league debuted Friday evening with two games between the newly formed teams made up of stars in the WNBA.
The first game between Mist BC and Lunar Owls BC featured stars like Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Skylar Diggins-Smith. Game 2 featured the Rose BC and Vinyl BC – with stars Angel Reese, Chelsea Gray, Arike Ogunbowale and Aliyah Boston.
But despite all these stars on the court, there was one name noticeably absent from the festivities: Caitlin Clark.
The Indiana Fever star decided not to compete in the first season of Unrivaled to give her body time to heal after a grueling calendar that lasted virtually non-stop from November 2023 to September 2024.
Regardless, many of her fans took to social media on the competition’s debut night to make it clear that her absence was felt.
Fans miss Caitlin Clark’s play as the unprecedented 3v3 competition made its debut on Friday

Numerous top WNBA players, such as Clark’s college rival Angel Reese (center), participated

Clark is enjoying her time off – and was recently spotted with boyfriend Connor McCaffrey
“Caitlin Clark would have scored 50 in this format, man,” wrote a user on X, formerly Twitter.
One women’s hoops fan wrote, “Caitlin Clark would have dusted off Unrivaled. My god, it would have been wonderful! The fast game is made for her.’
That user sent another message saying, “No double teams. Caitlin Clark is said to have cooked in Unrivaled. The fast game was made for her by Taylor. Even without her it remains very exciting.’
“Caitlin Clark would cook these suckers in 3 on 3,” read another post.
But one user believed Clark’s decision to sit out was smart, saying: ‘Caitlin Clark made the right choice by choosing not to play this first Unrivaled season. This is quite hectic. I think the rest will serve her well.”
Clark has been putting her free time to good use — recently relaxing on a date night with boyfriend Connor McCaffrey at a volleyball game.
But it wasn’t all fun for Clark. A man was accused of stalking the Fever star after he drove to Indianapolis and started sending her threatening messages.
He is being held in jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.