With 8.8 seconds left in the third quarter of the Indiana Fever's game against the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse last Tuesday, the Fever were on the hunt for one more big play to drive home the dagger.
It was game two in a best-of-three series in the first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, and the injury-riddled Fever needed to win to keep their postseason hopes alive. They led 56-44 and had been sitting with a comfortable lead for much of the game, but they weren't satisfied yet.
After forcing the Dream to turn the ball over under the Fever's basket on an inbounds play, the Fever slung the basketball around the perimeter, trying to find an open pair of hands. Lexie Hull, standing just outside the three-point line, raised her arms – there were no defenders even close to her – and Aliyah Boston quickly passed her the ball.
As soon as the basketball left her hands, Boston lifted her right arm in the air with the classic three-pointer sign. She knew what Hull was about to do – and she was right.
Hull let it fly, sinking a nothing-but-net three-pointer that created nothing short of an explosion. Caitlin Clark and the rest of the Fever bench erupted, leaping to their feet and jumping up and down along the baseline in celebration.
Just a few feet away, Kenny Moore II and Zaire Franklin were doing the same exact thing.
The two Colts stars had been animated and vocal throughout the game, clapping and cheering for their fellow athletes. Earlier in the game they were shown on the jumbotron to thunderous applause, but they weren't there to further their own agendas or get attention – they simply just wanted to go support the Fever, as they'd done many times before.
"Me being from Philly, I grew up with the sports teams feeding off each other," Franklin said. "That type of energy is contagious. So obviously the Pacers popped it off going to the finals, the Fever doing they thing in the playoffs and obviously we were able to get off to a hot start. So I'm definitely supporting them...definitely looking forward to see them try to get the win against the Aces."
The Fever play the Las Vegas Aces on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Game 3 of a best-of-five semifinal series; it's currently tied 1-1. Franklin will be there, and you can bet Pacers players will be too.
Head coach Shane Steichen also wore a Fever shirt last Friday before their third game against the Dream (in which they stormed back late to win and advance to play the Aces in the semifinals) and wished the team luck in his press conference. It's not the first time Steichen has done something like that; he's been vocal in his support for both the Pacers and the Fever, especially in the last year as both basketball teams have been among the top teams in the country. And both basketball teams have supported the Colts over the years as well, on social media and in person.
"It shows just the grittiness, the toughness, the resilience that they're playing with right now," Steichen said after the Fever's comeback win over the Dream. "You can see they're all playing together. So, it's exciting for them. It's exciting for the city."
That's just the way Indianapolis sports operate: all of the teams show up for one another. There's a collective feeling of camaraderie across the three organizations, as they all represent the same thing: Indiana.
"It feels great," Fever head coach Stephanie White said. "Our community is very much like a small-town college feel, for supporting one another...To see the Pacers players and the Colts players in the building, and for us, for our players to be in their buildings, it's important. And I think it shows how tight the sports community is in the city of Indianapolis and in the state of Indiana."
In a time when the WNBA is still fighting for recognition and respect, the support of a major sports franchise like the Colts doesn't go unnoticed. Fever players and fans alike have recognized how special it's been for Steichen to continually bring up the team's success in press conferences – without being asked about them – and for the entire Colts organization to be vocal in their support for the team.
"Anytime all the professional sports can support each other through their certain seasons and come out and show that support and cheer on the other teams, I think it's huge," Steichen said. "I think the players love it. The fans love it. It's a lot of camaraderie back and forth."
At this point, it's become the norm for Tyrese Haliburton to make an appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium, for the Pacers to show up for the Fever (and vice versa) and for the Colts to do the same for both teams. Multiple Colts players have even attended Indy Ignite games, supporting the new Major League Volleyball expansion team.
That kind of togetherness can be somewhat taken for granted; in Indianapolis it just feels natural. But when you look at the broader scope of major American cities, you'll realize it's actually pretty uncommon – especially in terms of supporting women's sports.
Some might attribute that increased attention to the "Caitlin Clark effect," and there's certainly no denying that Clark's arrival in Indianapolis boosted the Fever (and women's basketball as a whole) to unprecedented heights and brought more attention to the city. But the sports teams in Indianapolis have always been tightly knit and supportive of each other, regardless. We're just seeing more of it because they're all enjoying notable success right now.
And no matter what happens – if the Fever are unable to continue their impressive postseason run, if the Pacers don't reach the NBA Finals like they did last season, if the Colts' winning streak is eventually broken – there's no doubt that the three teams will continue to show their support for one another.
That's just the kind of city Indianapolis is.
