Lexie Hull remembers what it was like playing for the Indiana Fever before Caitlin Clark arrived in town.

It’s different now. The arenas are louder, the opposing players are more motivated and social media is more volatile.

“The most challenging part is there’s just so much scrutiny. People have opinions online, and, unfortunately, that’s part of the job and the role that we play,” Hull told Fox News Digital about what’s harder about playing in Indiana since 2024.

“People need to know that everyone’s human. We’re real people. I think when things get blown out of proportion, when things get really personal and there’s personal attacks on people’s character, I think that’s where it gets over the line.”

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When asked if she has been the target of personal attacks online, Hull said, “I’m sure I have. I try not to read comments for that reason.”

Much of the controversial social media discourse about the Fever stems from heated moments on the court over the last two seasons. Clark and Fever fans often expressed outrage at times when an opposing player fouled her or delivered a physical play against Clark without a foul being called.

Hull was drafted by the Fever in 2022 and played two full seasons in a quieter, less-crowded Gainbridge Fieldhouse than the one she has played in the last two years, falling short of the playoffs both years.

But when Clark was drafted in 2024, Hull’s team became the center of the women’s basketball world.

Hull says she noticed a difference in how opposing players started to perform against her team that year, which she credits to the surge in popularity.

“Because of the fans that we’ve gotten since 2024, with the rise in, I think, like, popularity with the Indiana Fever being like a name that people know. … And there’s a million Fever jerseys and Fever shirts. I think, like, as an opposing team, you’d want to win even more because you feel there’s so many people rooting,” Hull said.

“It’s exciting to have that type of following across the country, and I think, like, for other teams, they have great fans and great people that show up for them, and they want to perform for those people, just like we want to perform for ours.”

When asked if she believes games have gotten more physical as a result, Hull said, “I think just the game itself is physical. I don’t know if it’s gotten any more physical. I think social media amplifies a lot of that.

“I think people want to win. I think people just want to win. … [The games] are all physical. … They all get chippy at times. Calls get made, calls don’t get made. That’s just part of the game.”

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During a game between the Fever and the Connecticut Sun June 17, physicality boiled into a brawl. After Sun guard Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye and fellow Sun player Marina Mabrey shoved Clark to the ground, Fever star Sophie Cunningham committed a hard foul on Sheldon, initiating an on-court fight that resulted in three ejections.

When asked if she believes her team is prepared for a similar incident in 2026, Hull said, “It shouldn’t get to that point.”

Instead, Hull said she is focused on helping her team win a championship. And she embraces all the attention and popularity despite the challenges that come with it.

“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,” Hull said of the positives that come with the attention.

She came one game shy of reaching the WNBA Finals last year, leading the Fever through the playoffs after Clark and Cunningham were lost for the season with injuries. In a career-best year, 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.

In the playoffs, she averaged 10.3 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 8 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.

With Clark and Cunningham healthy and back this year, the Fever go into 2026 as a top contender for the title.

“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,” Hull said.

The trio of Clark, Cunningham and Hull proved to be an efficient and gravitating force in popularity when they were all on the court at the same time last year. Along the way, they earned a mysterious nickname on social media, which they later adopted for themselves — “Tres Leches,” which translates from Spanish to “three milks” and refers to a popular Latin American sponge cake.

“We saw it on Twitter at some point, and people ran with it,” Hull said of the nickname. “It was funny.”

In terms of navigating the attention, Hull, Clark and their teammates now have two years of conditioning in that arena.

“I think everyone does a really good job of not giving the rise in attention any attention. I think we’re just showing up the same we do everyday,” Hull said.

“Knowing that there’s more eyes on us, knowing that there’s more seats in the stands, all of that is exciting, but I don’t think that necessarily changes how we go about the game, go about our relationships, go about what we post on social media. It just adds to the engagement.”

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A California sheriff’s detective was shot and killed Thursday while serving an eviction notice after an armed suspect opened fire on deputies in what authorities described as an apparent ambush.

Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said the shooting happened around 10:40 a.m. in Porterville, where deputies encountered a man identified as David Morales, who allegedly fired at them with a high-powered rifle.

The suspect remained barricaded and in an ongoing standoff with law enforcement as of Thursday.

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The detective was struck by gunfire and transported to Sierra View District Hospital, where he died at 11:57 a.m., Boudreaux said.

“This situation went from a civil order of removal to where our officer was shot [and] killed. This is senseless,” Boudreaux said.

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Authorities considered airlifting the detective to Fresno, but his condition was too unstable for transport.

Boudreaux said Morales had not paid rent for 35 days, and deputies were serving a final eviction notice when the shooting occurred.

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The sheriff said Morales appeared to have been waiting for deputies and “laid in wait” before opening fire, prompting a call for additional units.

“I sat down at the hospital and met with the wife and his mom, and I can tell you there is no consoling that family at this point,” Boudreaux said. “Attacks on law enforcement of this nature must stop.”

Law enforcement agencies across the region responded to assist, and an escort was being organized to accompany the fallen detective from the hospital to the coroner’s office, Boudreaux said.

Bruce Springsteen is turning up the volume — not with music, but with a fiery political speech that’s putting him back at the center of controversy.

The billionaire rocker is facing backlash after recently blasting America’s richest and most powerful in a scathing speech, one that critics say rings differently given his reported $1.2 billion fortune.

According to Forbes’ March 2026 report, “The World’s Celebrity Billionaires,” Springsteen lands at No. 15 with a staggering net worth of $1.2 billion.

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Springsteen began to address an audience, saying, “The richest men in America have abandoned the world’s poorest children to death and disease through dismantling of U.S. aid. This is happening now. We’re undermining NATO and the world order that kept us safe and at global peace for 80 years. This is happening now.”

Springsteen widened his attack to U.S. alliances and global standing.

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“We threaten our good neighbors and our allies — Canada, the Netherlands whose sons and daughters have fought alongside of us in American wars with predatory annexation of their lands. This is happening now.”

The “Born in the U.S.A.” singer continued to take aim at cultural institutions and the current administration under President Donald Trump.

“Our museums are told to whitewash American history of any unpleasant or inconvenient facts like the full history of the brutality of slavery. If you want to talk about snowflakes, we have a president who can’t handle the truth. This is happening now.”

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He then shifted to accusations of corruption at the highest levels of government.

“While working Americans struggle, our president and his family enrich themselves by billions of dollars trading on the people’s office in corruption unmatched in American history. This is happening now.”

Springsteen argued that America’s global reputation is collapsing.

“The White House, this White House is destroying the American idea and our reputation around the world. To many, we are no longer looked upon as an often imperfect but strong defender of democracy standing for the global good.

“We are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave. We are now America, the reckless, unpredictable, predatory, rogue nation. That is this administration’s and it will be this president’s legacy. And that’s happening now.”

He concluded with a call to core values as backlash intensified online.

“Honesty, honor, humility, truth, compassion, thoughtfulness, morality, true strength and decency. Don’t let anyone tell you that these things don’t matter anymore. They do.”

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Critics were quick to fire back at Springsteen’s controversial speech.

“Let’s see him give his fortune to the poor. He won’t. He just gets paid to be an influencer for the socialists on the left,” one commenter wrote.

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“People buying tickets buy them to hear his music, but now he just makes political statements. Never went to his concert, definitely will not now,” another added.

Another comment said, “Hypocrisy is nothing new in Hollywood! They have no knowledge of the life of the average American!”

The 76-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has built his fortune over decades in the spotlight.

Springsteen has sold more than 140 million albums globally over his 50 years of touring and recording, according to Forbes.

But it wasn’t just album sales that pushed Springsteen into billionaire territory.

His biggest check came from selling his music catalog to Sony Music Entertainment for a $500 million lump sum in 2021.

Last week, Springsteen also stirred outrage during his Minneapolis show with additional remarks on immigration and U.S. policy.

“There are immigrants being held in detention centers around the country and being deported without due process of law to alien countries and foreign gulags,” he said. “This is happening now.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Springsteen for comment.