Simone Biles receives huge ovation at Fever game before sharing special moment with Caitlin Clark on historic night
One of the greatest athletes of all time came to watch, but by the end of the night there was plenty of admiration going both ways
S imone Biles knows what it feels like when an arena stops to recognize greatness. She has heard those roars after Olympic medals, impossible routines and moments that changed gymnastics forever. On Friday night in Indianapolis, she wasn't competing at all. She was simply sitting in the stands when thousands of people made sure she knew exactly what she still means to them.
When Biles appeared on the giant screen at Gainbridge Fieldhouse during the Indiana Fever's game against the Connecticut Sun, the crowd erupted. The most decorated gymnast in history smiled and waved back as the cheers poured down. It was a beautiful reception for an American sporting icon, but the night was about to produce another moment that felt just as special.
Because while Biles was watching from the stands, Caitlin Clark was making history on the court.
Clark delivered 34 points and 12 assists as Indiana overwhelmed Connecticut 111-91, while Kelsey Mitchell added 34 points of her own. Clark became the first player in WNBA history to record at least 800 points and 300 assists in a single season. She also became the first to combine 300 assists with at least 100 made three-pointers in a season.
Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark share a moment away from the crowd
But one of the most memorable images of the night didn't happen in front of thousands of screaming fans.
After the game, Biles made her way into the hallway outside the Fever locker room, where the Olympic legend and Clark finally came face-to-face that night. They smiled, embraced and Clark greeted her warmly with a simple, “Good to see you.”
Biles also spent time greeting other members of the Fever. She exchanged hugs and smiles with Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, Aliyah Boston and other Indiana players, while Sophie Cunningham gave the gymnastics legend an especially enthusiastic welcome, telling her, “You are a badass.” Biles was accompanied by her brother during the postgame visit.
The admiration clearly went both ways. Biles may own seven Olympic gold medals and more World Championship medals than any gymnast in history, but she wasn't walking through that hallway asking to be treated like royalty. She was there as a sports fan, congratulating another group of women for what they had just accomplished.
Biles attended her first WNBA game at the same arena exactly two years earlier, on August 28, 2024, when Indiana also faced Connecticut. That night, Clark broke the WNBA rookie record for three-pointers in a season. Afterward, Biles met the Fever players and celebrated women's sports, while Clark admitted she was having her own fangirl moment over meeting the Olympic superstar.
Two years later, Biles came back. And once again, Clark made history with her watching.
This time Clark wasn't a rookie discovering the league anymore. She was the player who had just produced 34 points and 12 assists, helped Indiana win for the seventh time in nine games and put together statistical combinations no player in WNBA history had ever reached.
For a few seconds in that hallway, though, none of those numbers seemed particularly important.
It was simply Simone Biles and Caitlin Clark smiling and embracing, two of the biggest names in American sports sharing a moment of genuine mutual admiration.
