It was a bit of an embarrassment for ESPN, which prematurely posted a scheduled video about the Minnesota Lynx dominating the Indiana Fever in the Commissioner’s Cup on Tuesday evening. Former Arizona star Aari McDonald and her teammates got the last laugh, defeating the Lynx by 15 to win the in-season tournament on Minnesota’s home floor.
COMMISSIONER’S CUP CHAMPS #FeverWin pic.twitter.com/JHNZDcWhxg
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) July 2, 2025
The Fever had to defeat both the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx to take the title. The two teams are currently third and first, respectively, in the WNBA standings.
Winning the Commissioner’s Cup earned the players a $500,000 prize pool to be split among them. That is in addition to their regular salaries.
The Fever had Caitlin Clark in the victory over the Liberty, but the WNBA’s meal ticket was out with a groin injury for the championship game. McDonald got her second straight start with the Fever as a result of Clark’s absence and her own recent play.
McDonald is averaging 12 points, 1.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals in 26 minutes per game in six games this season. She has scored at least 12 points in all except the first game she played with the Fever when under an emergency hardship contract.
Since returning on a rest-of-season deal last week, McDonald has averaged 13 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals in 26.3 minutes per game. She came off the bench in her first game back, which was a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks team that waived her during training camp. Since then, she has started in wins over the Dallas Wings and the Lynx.
McDonald is known for her speed and ability to get to the rim, but she’s having a more successful season from distance, too. She is hitting 37.5 percent of her 3-point shots. Her career high is 33.8 percent during her second season in the league. She has a career 3-point percentage of 32.3 percent.
The Indiana Fever have racked up an 8-8 season while navigating injuries, absences for players’ national team obligations, and a player sitting out for “personal reasons” before being waived to make room for McDonald. Their record is tied with the Las Vegas Aces for the seventh-best in the WNBA. They are 4-2 with McDonald and 2-0 when she starts.