Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Indiana Fever Legend Gets ‘Stranger Things’ Surprise

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Jul 30, 2025 8:27 PM ET

As the Indiana Fever prepared to host the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night, a "strange" gift arrived for Tamika Catchings.

The Fever are wearing their "Stranger Things" jerseys again for the big home game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. They will welcome Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner back after she was waived by Indiana last month.

A "Stranger Things" Surprise

With Bonner on the other side of the floor and Caitlin Clark still out with a right groin injury, things might feel a little bit upside down in Indianapolis — but the team made sure Catchings would fit right in.

Catchings posted a video on Instagram showing a delivery that included a customized black "Stranger Things" jersey with her name on it, but there was an unexpected twist.

Instead of her trademark No. 24, the number on the back paid tribute to Millie Bobby Brown's character "Eleven" from the hit Netflix series.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tamika Catchings (@catchin24)

Honoring an Indiana Fever Legend

From winning WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2002 to bringing Indiana its first WNBA championship in 2012, Catchings' historic career made her a certified Fever legend.

She is the only player in franchise history to have her jersey retired, so perhaps that's why the marketing team avoided putting No. 24 on the back.

After playing for the legendary Pat Summit at Tennessee, she spent all 15 seasons of her WNBA career in Indianapolis. In that time, she climbed her way to the top of the franchise record books, ranking No. 1 in Fever history in:

Career minutes played (14,387)
Career points (7,380)
Career rebounds (3,315)
Career assists (1,488)

There's more, but you get the idea. Without Catchings, today's version of the Fever would not exist.

Her fingerprints are still all over the 2025 team, as her former teammates Briann January and Karima Christmas-Kelly are on the coaching staff of current head coach Stephanie White, who also played with and coached Catchings in Indiana.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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