Caitlin Clark, Raven Johnson silence old controversy with viral Fever moment

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Caitlin Clark, Raven Johnson silence old controversy with viral Fever moment originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The relationship between Caitlin Clark and Raven Johnson was always going to be one of the most closely watched dynamics on the Indiana Fever roster this season. Not because of basketball fit. Not because of position battles. Because fans still remembered that moment.

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Back in the 2023 Final Four, Clark famously waved off Johnson on the perimeter during Iowa’s matchup against South Carolina, daring her to shoot from deep. The clip exploded online almost instantly, becoming one of the defining images of Clark’s college career and one of the most debated moments in women’s basketball that year. For Johnson, the fallout became far bigger than a single possession.

Johnson spoke

The Fever rookie revealed earlier this year that the backlash and online criticism tied to the viral moment nearly pushed her away from basketball entirely. That history added another layer of intrigue when Indiana brought the two guards together this season. Now, just a few months later, the story around them looks completely different.

Following Indiana’s 90-82 win over the Golden State Valkyries on Friday night, Clark and Johnson shared a postgame handshake that immediately grabbed fans’ attention online. The sequence featured double high-fives, chest bumps in opposite directions and plenty of smiles after one of Indiana’s most complete performances of the young season. The moment quickly spread across social media because it looked natural. Comfortable. Genuine.

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That stood out.

For weeks, fans have tried reading into every interaction between the two players because of their complicated history. Friday’s moment felt like the clearest sign yet that whatever tension people expected simply does not exist inside Indiana’s locker room. And honestly, it makes sense.

MORE: Caitlin Clark’s honest reaction to unexpected Fever technical foul says everything

Good teammate

Clark has consistently praised Johnson’s defensive energy and growth early in her rookie season. Johnson, meanwhile, has embraced her role next to one of the biggest stars in sports while bringing toughness and defensive intensity to the Fever rotation. Friday may have been the best example yet of why Indiana is so intrigued by the pairing.

Clark returned to looking like herself offensively, finishing with 22 points and nine assists while controlling the pace throughout the night. Johnson only scored seven points, but her impact defensively continued to show up in key stretches, and she finished with a positive plus-minus in her minutes. More importantly, the chemistry between the two players continues to become impossible to ignore.

Fans especially loved Johnson jumping into the comments afterward and calling Clark “Mamacita,” which only added more fuel to what is quickly becoming one of the Fever’s favorite teammate dynamics. That matters more than people realize.

The Fever entered this season carrying enormous pressure around Clark, expectations for immediate contention and nonstop national attention. Teams in those situations can fracture quickly if personalities do not mesh. Instead, Indiana increasingly looks like a group genuinely enjoying playing together.

And for Clark and Johnson specifically, the entire storyline now feels flipped upside down from where it stood just a few years ago. What once became one of the internet’s favorite sources of controversy is suddenly turning into one of the WNBA’s most unexpectedly wholesome teammate connections.

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