WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark is set to reunite with an old foe following the Indiana Fever’s 2026 draft pick.
Clark and co gained a new teammate on Monday night when the Fever selected Raven Johnson out of South Carolina with the 10th overall pick in the WNBA Draft.
The newest member of the Fever is already all too familiar with her superstar teammate with Clark and Johnson enduring a tense moment as rivals during their college days.
In the 2023 NCAA women’s Final Four, Clark and Johnson clashed when the Iowa Hawkeyes faced off against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
During the matchup, the duo shared a tense and awkward moment, which swiftly went viral.
Johnson, then a redshirt freshman, was wide open beyond the arc in the first quarter. However, Clark, who was supposed to be guarding her, humiliatingly waved her off and instead decided to double-team one of Johnson’s teammates.
WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark (left) is set to reunite with an old foe Raven Johnson (right)
Raven Johnson was selected by the Indiana Fever with the 10th overall pick on Monday
After the moment went viral following the game, which saw Clark’s Iowa triumph over South Carolina, the abuse Johnson received for it made her want to quit basketball.
‘I was all over the internet,’ Johnson said on the ‘I AM NEXT’ podcast in March. ‘That’s one reason I hate the internet now, because of that situation.
‘ I got bashed, I got bullied, I got called all these things I wasn’t, aka like a monkey and things like that, and I just think I wanted to quit basketball at that time, and I just wanted to go in this little bubble of isolation and just be by myself.’
However, despite the awkwardness stemming from the exchange three years ago, Johnson does not appear to hold a grudge against Clark herself.
After being drafted by the Fever on Monday night, Johnson gushed over the prospect of playing alongside the guard.
‘Caitlin Clark,’ Johnson said immediately when asked by Overtime WBB which new teammate she’s most excited to play with. ‘… She’s a phenomenal player, with the things she does, it’s bar standard. She can shoot the ball, she can lead a team, and they win. She has a winning mentality, and I think that’s the biggest thing.’
The Fever have made a number of crucial moves to strengthen their roster this offseason.
In addition to drafting Johnson, a two-time NCAA champion with the Gamecocks, Indiana also re-signed key players, including Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham.
Johnson and Clark shared an awkward exchange during Iowa and South Carolina’s 2023 clash
The Fever have strengthen their roster, including re-signing Sophie Cunningham (right)
They also added veteran Monique Billings in free agency as they look to best their finish from last season.
The Fever’s 2025 season ended in heartbreak when they suffered a 107-98 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals.
Clark is also set to make a return to the court for the Fever when the 2026 season tips off next month.
The 24-year-old was sidelined for the majority of the 2025 WNBA season after suffering a groin injury in July.
She stepped onto the court for the first time in eight months in March when she made her Team USA debut against Senegal.
