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Lexie Hull led the Indiana Fever to the brink of the WNBA Finals last season.
She did it without Caitlin Clark on the floor after the superstar was injured.
Now, with Clark returning in 2026, Hull believes and expects they can win a championship and promote the game for the next generation of fans and aspiring players.
“Seeing girls, seeing boys show up every day and being able to give them aspirations and show them what they can do and show them the possibilities,” Hull told Fox News Digital of the rewards of playing in the WNBA.
“Growing up, I didn’t necessarily watch the WNBA as much, didn’t have dreams of playing in the league at a young age. And now girls have the ability to watch us, see us, dream about being professional athletes. And that’s what’s been the most rewarding part about it.
“I love the game, and I love when [the fans] show up. And that’s part of the reason why I love doing what I do, is to see fans in the stands, see little girls and being able to be a role model for them on and off the court. I think that’s really what drives me and fuels me.”
Hull, who was drafted by the Fever in 2022, played her first two WNBA seasons without the massive spotlight that Clark brought in 2024.
They got the Fever to the playoffs together for the first time since 2016 that year before Hull led the team on a playoff run while Clark and teammate Sophie Cunningham were on the bench with injuries in 2026.
In a career-best year in 2025, Hull averaged career highs in points (7.2), rebounds (4.3) and assists (1.8) while shooting 36.7% from 3-point range and appearing in all 44 games.
FEVER’S LEXIE HULL SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ATTACKS ON PLAYERS AS TEAM’S POPULARITY GROWS DURING CAITLIN CLARK ERA
In the playoffs, she averaged 10.3 points, five rebounds and two assists in eight games. It all came to an end in a 107-98 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals.
But Hull says she believes the 2026 team, in year three of the Clark era, will be a different show and one that is gunning for the title.
“I think it’s because we made it where we made it last year without some of our key pieces, and with a lot of injuries, and a lot of, like, this adversity. … Our bench was longer than every other bench. We had more people in the training room getting treatment than any other team, and we still almost made it to the Finals,” Hull said.
“Tasting that and being so close and feeling like we have so much more to give, I think that just changes our mindset a little bit. And it’s not necessarily overconfident, but confident in the fact that we really do have a chance. And we should be playing like every game matters, and we’re preparing for that last one.
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“I think it’s very achievable with what we’re going to be able to do with free agency.”
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