The Associated Press named Caitlin Clark its Comeback Player of the Year, a designation that makes a lot of sense — especially when you compare her 2025 season to 2026. Clark is one of the most recognizable faces of the league and an enormous contributor for the Indiana Fever, two factors that might make the idea of her being a "comeback" player feel not quite accurate. But if anyone has had a huge comeback this season, it's Clark.
As many, many fans recall, Clark missed enormous chunks of the 2025 season due to a series of injuries that ultimately left her unable to play. She will finally experience the playoffs for the first time since she was drafted as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and will be pushing the Fever to go as far as possible. She and teammate Kelsey Mitchell are trailing only A'ja Wilson as points leaders this season. She's truly enjoyed a powerful comeback in every sense of the word.
If anything, the fact that Clark is so well-known and such a forward-facing leader in the WNBA may be the reason why many people didn't expect to see her designated as Comeback Player of the Year. The award isn't always seen as one of the most important (Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year are frequently cited as awards that carry a heavier weight).
Clark was also named to the AP's All-WNBA First Team, something that would have been unfathomable last year as she spent most of the season on the bench. In 2025, there was plenty of worry that her injuries, especially her groin injury, could mean that she wouldn't be able to come back as strongly as she hoped. Clark has more than disproven those fears.
So that makes Comeback Player of the Year a pretty perfect designation for Clark this season. She will inevitably have her own MVP seasons — probably sooner than later, if she keeps playing the way she does — but this one probably isn't it. One of the best things about the WNBA right now is that there's enormous talent in the league, which makes it difficult to pinpoint one specific player as the best. A'ja Wilson is leading most MVP ballots at this point (and was also named Player of the Year by the AP), and that's a place she's likely to remain.
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