Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark is sidelined with an injury for the first time in her pro career, but the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year expects to be back on the court sooner than later.
“I’ll miss this weekend’s game, but after that, it’s day-by-day,” Clark said on Thursday, June 5, noting that there’s a “possibility” she’ll suit up on Tuesday, June 10.
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Clark will not play in the Fever’s matchup against the Chicago Sky on Saturday, June 7, marking the fourth consecutive game she’ll miss as she recovers from a left quad injury suffered during the Fever’s 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty on May 24. The Fever initially announced that Clark would be sidelined for at least two weeks, meaning the earliest she could return to the lineup is Tuesday for the Fever’s matchup against the Atlanta Dream.
Clark, however, said she’s “not going to rush back” if she’s not feeling 100%.
“I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress, and I feel good,” Clark said. “I’m not going to rush back if it’s not worth it. But after this weekend I’ll be reevaluated and we’ll have a better idea of when I’m returning.”
Clark said she can’t pinpoint the specific play that led to her injury on May 24 against the Liberty, although she noted that she thinks it happened earlier in the loss.
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“Obviously, adrenaline covers up a lot of stuff when you’re in the heat of battle,” Clark said. “And after the game, I had some pain, and then we got an MRI, and that kind of gave me the result that I didn’t want to see. But, you know, those types of things don’t lie.”
Clark’s extended absence marks the first time she has missed games over an injury in either her college or professional career. She played 139 games while at Iowa and 46 games during her first season with the Fever. Clark said the injury has not only challenged her physically, but mentally as she’s “not a very patient person.”
“It’s an opportunity to grow. I just try to approach it in the best way that I can. It’s certainly weird. I think at times the hardest part is just not being able to be involved in practice,” Clark said. “I love practice. I love getting better. I think that’s just kind of been the time for me to, like, really find some patience. And I’ve never been a patient person my entire life, so this is definitely testing me a little bit, but I think it’s gonna be really good for me. I just tried to approach it in the best way I possibly can. I can’t change it, but yeah, I think my patience has definitely grown a lot.”
The Fever have gone 1-2 in Clark’s absence and the team sits at 3-4 on the season.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Caitlin Clark injury update: Fever star will miss game vs Chicago Sky
