Fever host Wings in showdown of WNBA's last four No. 1 picks

Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston opened Indiana’s season against a Dallas team built around another wave of draft headliners, turning the Fever’s home debut into a clear snapshot of where the WNBA’s star power is headed. The game at 1 p.m. ET in Indianapolis brought together the league’s last four No. 1 overall picks: Boston in 2023, Clark in 2024, Paige Bueckers in 2025 and Azzi Fudd in 2026.

That sequence matters beyond the box score. Boston and Clark gave Indiana back-to-back No. 1 picks, while Dallas answered by taking Bueckers first overall in 2025 and then winning the 2026 lottery before selecting Fudd at No. 1. The result was a matchup built from the top of the draft board, with two franchises trying to convert elite college recognition into sustained professional relevance.

The opener also carried a bit of history. It was the first time since Dallas’ inaugural 2016 season that the Fever and Wings met on opening night. Dallas won that May 14, 2016 game 90-79, and the league’s latest meeting gave the same pairing a far bigger national stage as both teams entered 2026 looking to take a step forward.

Clark and Bueckers added another layer because they represented the past two Rookie of the Year winners. Clark’s return to a home setting remained a storyline in its own right after she had been limited to 13 games, including eight home games, in her 2024 season. A preseason appearance on May 1 came after 291 days without a home game for the Fever’s most bankable star, underscoring how much interest has built around every chance to see her in person.

Dallas, meanwhile, has assembled its own draw with Bueckers, Fudd and Arike Ogunbowale, giving the Wings a cluster of names that resonate from college basketball to the pro level. That is the larger significance of the afternoon in Indianapolis: the WNBA is no longer waiting for stars to arrive. Its latest generation of No. 1 picks is already here, and opening weekend put them on the same floor.