INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark has been ruled out of the team’s preseason opener against the Washington Mystics due to a left leg injury, the Fever announced Saturday, shortly before the teams squared off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Clark initially popped up on the injury report Friday, and before Saturday’s game she described the injury as “just a little tightness” in her left leg. Despite participating in practice all week and going through her typical pregame warmup, Indiana erred on the side of caution with its franchise player. The Fever also have another preseason game Sunday against the Brazilian national team at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa, where Clark spent her college career.
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“The biggest thing is we gotta think long term,” Fever coach Stephanie White said pregame. “We gotta make sure that we’re not putting Caitlin at risk for injury. We’re not putting our team in position where we’re thinking short term and not long term.”
The WNBA moved up to 44 games this season, the most in league history, and White noted the increase in games as another factor the team must consider regarding its players’ health. Clark appeared in all 40 regular-season games last year, plus two more playoff games. She played all 139 games during her four-year college career.
“We want to make sure we’re extra cautious and put her health and wellness first and foremost,” White said. “Honestly, it’s been one day at a time, how she’s reacting to treatment, how she’s reacting to workouts. Positive progress is being made, but we can’t be shortsighted.”
Clark was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2024 and made the All-WNBA first team. She set the WNBA record for assists in a single game and a single season, while leading the Fever to the postseason for the first time since 2016.
The Fever only returned five players from last year’s team: Clark, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull and Damiris Dantas. Clark, who averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds last year, said she’s excited to play against another team with her new teammates. However, that opportunity will have to wait — at least for one day — as the Fever prioritize her health.
“You can play pickup, you can do workouts, you can do practice, all of that,” Clark said pregame. “But there’s nothing like getting to put on your uniform and going out here and getting to compete with your teammates and play for the Fever and in front of these amazing fans. There’s really nothing like that, nothing can really emulate that.”
(Photo: Greg Fiume / Getty Images)
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