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Caitlin Clark had a shaky return to WNBA action connected Saturday aft her season-ending wounded past year.
Clark, successful her first preseason crippled for nan Indiana Fever, made conscionable 2 of her 10 section extremity attempts successful Saturday's preseason crippled against nan New York Liberty. However, she did deed a three-pointer, made 2 free throws and had 3 rebounds pinch 4 assists. She played conscionable 17 minutes.
Clark suffered a season-ending wounded to her correct groin past July, compounded by a bony bruise connected her near ankle sustained during a workout successful August.
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Caitlyn Clark of nan Indiana Fever looks connected arsenic nan crippled is astir to commencement against nan New York Liberty astatine Barclays Center successful Brooklyn, New York, connected April 25, 2026. (Michelle Farsi/Getty Images)
"It’s not for illustration I wounded my knee aliases tore my Achilles, aliases thing for illustration that, sound connected wood," Clark said, per reporter Tony East successful March.. "It was these benignant of nagging injuries that would build up and build up, and dealt pinch 1 connected apical of nan other.
"I deliberation that … played pinch my mind moreover much than knowing I would beryllium retired for a group play of time. I was ever trying to travel backmost and ever trying to travel back, and past I’d get wounded successful different way."
Prior to Saturday, Clark besides competed for USA Basketball successful nan FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament successful March.
The Fever and WNBA arsenic a full are depending connected Clark successful 2026, for a large year. The Fever person title aspirations aft falling conscionable 1 crippled awkward of nan WNBA Finals past twelvemonth pinch Clark injured. Meanwhile, nan WNBA will beryllium leaning connected Clark to support nan convention increasing successful position of relevance and fame aft it agreed to salary its players overmuch higher salaries pinch a caller corporate bargaining statement pinch nan players' national successful March.
As nan league's astir celebrated player, nan WNBA has a batch to summation from Clark staying patient and playing well.
FEVER'S LOSS TO SPARKS TRIGGERS MORE BACKLASH AGAINST ESPN ANALYST FOR CONTROVERSIAL CAITLIN CLARK TAKE
Team USA's Caitlin Clark reacts during nan Women's World Cup 2026 qualifier against Puerto Rico astatine nan Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot successful San Juan connected March 12, 2026. (Alexa Alejandro/FIBA)
Clark was progressive successful 20 of nan 23 WNBA games that drew much than 1 cardinal viewers successful 2024. But successful 2025, nationalist tv viewership for nan WNBA saw a important decline of 55% during a two-week play erstwhile Caitlin Clark was sidelined pinch a quad injury, per Nielsen ratings.
Clark's Fever teammate Lexie Hull antecedently told Fox News Digital she noticed a quality successful really opposing players started to execute against her squad that year, which she credits to nan surge successful popularity.
"Because of nan fans that we've gotten since 2024, pinch nan emergence in, I think, like, fame pinch nan Indiana Fever being for illustration a sanction that group know. … And there's a cardinal Fever jerseys and Fever shirts. I think, like, arsenic an opposing team, you'd want to triumph moreover much because you consciousness there's truthful galore group rooting," Hull said.
"It's breathtaking to person that type of pursuing crossed nan country, and I think, like, for different teams, they person awesome fans and awesome group that show up for them, and they want to execute for those people, conscionable for illustration we want to execute for ours."
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Caitlin Clark of nan Indiana Fever sits connected nan chair aft being taken retired pinch a imaginable wounded during nan 2nd half against nan Connecticut Sun astatine TD Garden successful Boston, Mass., connected July 15, 2025. (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)
When asked if she believes games person gotten much beingness arsenic a result, Hull said, "I deliberation conscionable nan crippled itself is physical. I don't cognize if it's gotten immoderate much physical. I deliberation societal media amplifies a batch of that.
"I deliberation group want to win. I deliberation group conscionable want to win. ... [The games] are each physical. … They each get chippy astatine times. Calls get made, calls don't get made. That's conscionable portion of nan game."
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Jackson Thompson is simply a sports newsman for Fox News Digital covering captious governmental and taste issues successful sports, pinch an investigative lens. Jackson's reporting has been cited successful national authorities actions related to nan enforcement of Title IX, and successful bequest media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.
