INDIANAPOLIS — Tamika Catchings remembers, back when she was playing for the Indiana Fever, black curtains obscured the top-level seats at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The building has a capacity of around 18,000, but in Catchings’ 14-year career, the Fever never averaged more than 9,000 fans per game in a season, according to Across the Timeline.

Catchings’ MVP year in 2011 saw an average of just over 8,000 per game — seventh in the league at the time. The WNBA championship team in 2012 averaged around 7,500 per game, per Across the Timeline.

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For the time, it was a good attendance. But it wasn’t enough to justify keeping the curtains up. So, the black curtains came down to cover the balcony-level seats each one of Catchings’ seasons in the WNBA.

They came up for Catchings’ retirement game, which saw 17,704 people pack into the fieldhouse in 2016.

The attendance dwindled following Catchings’ retirement, with Across the Time reporting a low of 1,775 fans per game in 2022 — the same year Indiana was displaced from the fieldhouse.

The curtains rarely came up. Until this season.

“Up until this year, you always had that black curtain up there,” Catchings said. “People would sit up there, but definitely not beyond that. But more than that … people are excited about the team. Everywhere I go, people are like, ‘Oh, are you locked into the Fever tonight?’ It’s places I’ve been to before, but it’s a different energy.”

All that energy came with Caitlin Clark, the Fever’s 2024 No. 1 pick. She is a national draw, with people traveling from states away and packing away arenas to see her and the Fever. Just on Thursday night, the Washington Mystics, who usually play in an arena that accommodates around 5,000, set a single-game attendance record of 20,711 after moving their game against the Fever to Capital One Arena.

Indiana went from 11th in the league in attendance in 2023 to first in 2024, averaging over 17,000 per game.

“A lot of people will ask, ‘how are we doing? How would you compare when you were playing?’ And there’s no comparison,” Catchings said. “It’s not even fair to put a comparison, honestly … we kind of came in as part of the trailblazers to continue to establish the league, and now you have this next generation with social media. Interestingly enough, social media wasn’t a thing until toward the latter years of my career.”

This season, Catchings has especially been watching Clark and her impact on the WNBA. Really, who hasn’t? Clark’s court vision is unmatched, Catchings said, and her ability to make her teammates better while shooting at a high clip herself is an unusual skill in the WNBA as a whole.

“She makes players around her better,” Catchings said. “Her court vision — I’ve been watching how she finds her teammates, and all they need to do is all her teammates have to do is run, and she can find them in their spot.”

Catchings is an acclaimed member of the Fever legacy and is the only person in Indiana's 25-year history to be named Most Valuable Player.

But, with Clark making her way into the MVP conversation in her rookie year, Catchings anticipates having some company soon.

“Coming in and the impact that she had on our team, you look at the MVP, and you look at the impact they’ve had on their teams,” Catchings said. “From the triple-doubles and her play on the floor, she does have to be in the conversation. … I do think if Caitlin continues to grow and keep doing what she’s doing in this league, she’ll continue to be in those talks.”

Clark, along with 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston and seven-year veteran Kelsey Mitchell, has led the Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 — Catchings’ final year in the league. Indiana will play third-seeded Connecticut in the first round, starting Sunday.

As well as they’re playing, Catchings says they’re going to be a scary team to compete against.

"If everyone comes in and does their role, they’ll be a hard team to play,” Catchings said. “And you never know — you have to watch out for Caitlin, but oh wait, Kelsey’s going off. You can’t not guard Caitlin, so you have to guard Caitlin, you have to guard Kelsey … I think it’s going to be hard for teams to figure out.”

Follow IndyStar Fever Insider Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tamika Catchings talks WNBA playoffs, Caitlin Clark, Fever attendance