Dick Vitale caught a glimpse of Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever's 21-12 win over Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty on Tuesday, and the legendary basketball commentator was left impressed. And with the win, the Fever moved to 21-12 on the 2026 WNBA, moving ahead of the Atlanta Dream for fourth in the league standings.
Clark finished the game with her 29th career double-double, tallying 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting, four rebounds and 10 assists. But it was Kelsey Mitchell who led Indiana with 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting, adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals as well.
And Clark's performance certainly left an impression on Vitale, who considers the former Iowa Hawkeyes guard to be a legitimate WNBA MVP candidate.
Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
As of Wednesday, Clark sits with the third-best odds to win the 2026 WNBA MVP award at +2200, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Lying ahead of the Indiana star include Las Vegas Aces 4-time MVP A'ja Wilson (-600) and Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles (+600).
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (+3500), Mitchell (+10000) and Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (+10000) round out the top six.
And Vitale took to social media on Wednesday to highlight Clark's impressive season, averaging 21.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists, and he claimed the Fever star will be a "legit contender for WNBA MVP."
"Yes @CaitlinClark22 will be legit contender for @WNBA MVP, Vitale wrote on X. "Caitlin is having a super year."
Vitale also shared a clip of Clark's first bucket from the Fever's win over the Liberty, dropping a New York player to the floor before draining a 3-pointer.
Clark and the Fever will be back in action on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, facing Bueckers and the Wings.
