The Indiana Fever announced Caitlin Clark would sit out Wednesday night's game against the Portland Fire about an hour before it began, and coach Stephanie White told reporters before the game that she only heard the news an hour before that. Per White, Clark experienced some soreness and stiffness Wednesday morning, and the decision was made after pregame evaluation.
White attempted to get ahead of the news by reassuring reporters at the game (and thus, fans and social media content creators) that all was well at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Clark didn't participate in the team's practice Tuesday (White noted she got treatment and had workouts fater practice), but White said she does not anticipate that begin the case for Clark going forward.
The problem for some, of course, is that reports about Clark's injuries last season began fairly similarly. She missed a preseason game, was back for a few, and then missed several games in a row. Most of the season was dominated by a kind of will-she, won't-she conversation about Clark as many wondered when (if) she would make it back on the court. She ultimately did not.
While the Fever didn't offer much else by way of information, White insisted the team isn't not managing anything for Clark and that she's fully healthy. As she put it, "This is just a back issue that we want to make sure we give the team to be ready."
Clark need back adjustments before the team's first game
Those reassurances were appreciated by many, but it's worth remembering that Clark left the court several times during the team's first regular season game to get adjustments on her back. At the time, she explained her back "gets out of line pretty quickly."
White also insisted at the time that the team had "multiple players" who left the game for the same treatment, and that back health is something that can often get overlooked when athletes are young and still developing. Perhaps last season's experiences taught the Fever to be more cautious than they want to be, and perhaps Clark is learning a thing or two about the toll that playing professional basketball takes on the body.
Clark's 2026 season has so far progressed successfully, and she's averaing 24.3 points and 9 assists. She recently became the only player in the league to have more than one 30+ point and 10+ assist game, which offers a lot of promise — if she gets back on the court.
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