LeBron James, Jayson Tatum show support for Caitlin Clark before WNBA tipoff

The NBA playoff action is in full swing, and that means one thing for summer basketball: The WNBA season is upon us.

The 2026 WNBA regular season starts on Friday, marking the league's 30th season. The schedule features 44 games over 15 teams, including new franchises in the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire.

Of course, one of the biggest names in the WNBA is Caitlin Clark. The former University of Iowa Hawkeyes star is entering her third season in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever.

LeBron James, Jason Tatum send Caitlin Clark message ahead of WNBA tipoff

On Monday, Clark took to social media to get fans pumped for the upcoming season. In a post on Instagram, Clark shared an image of herself in her Indiana Fever jersey, staring blankly at the camera, with the caption, "Year 3!!! See you all soon," with a red heart emoji.

Clark's post got the attention of the king, LeBron James. The Los Angeles Lakers star commented on Clark's post, "LFG!!!!!!!!" with a flexing muscle emoji. It says something when James chimes in.

Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum also got in on the fun and "liked" the post on Instagram.

Last season, the Fever were plagued by injuries but still pushed the Las Vegas Aces to overtime of Game 5 in the WNBA semifinals. They kept winning even with stars such as Clark and Sophie Cunningham out with injuries.

What's their goal this year? Kareem Copeland of ESPN says that's easy.

"A championship," he wrote in a feature out Monday. "That's the bottom-line goal for the Fever. A deep playoff run would be nice and all, but this team is built to win now."

Considering how far the Fever got last season with those injuries piling up, they should be contenders this season, so long as they stay healthy.