Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark intends to play Wednesday night against the Seattle Storm, despite dealing with a sore left ankle. Clark, who injured her ankle during Monday's game against the Connecticut Sun, is confident she will be ready for action when the Fever kick off their road trip.
“It's about what you'd expect when you turn it like that. I feel like I'll definitely be ready to go and ready to play,” Clark said, per the Associated Press. “Luckily I've dealt with some ankle injuries before, so it's nothing really out of the ordinary.”
Clark missed the final 5½ minutes of the first half against the Sun after injuring her ankle on a screen. However, she returned in the second half, finishing with 17 points and five assists. Despite her efforts, the Fever fell to 0-4 with an 88-84 loss. Clark plans to tape the ankle and rely on adrenaline to manage any lingering soreness.
The game against the Storm will mark Clark's third time playing inside Climate Pledge Arena. She previously played two games there with Iowa during the 2023 NCAA women's tournament, including a standout performance in the regional final against Louisville, where she recorded a 41-point, 10-rebound, 12-assist triple-double, propelling the Hawkeyes to the Final Four.
Reflecting on that trip to Seattle, Clark noted it as a pivotal moment for women's basketball.
“I think that's kind of when the fandom of Iowa women's basketball really started, and you kind of started to see women's basketball really take off,” Clark said. “I'd never been to Seattle in my life, and then coming here we didn't really know what to expect. But just to see the support of women's basketball, whether it was us playing, whether it was other teams playing, I think that was the biggest thing when I came here and noticed that.
This arena was packed. There wasn't a seat that was open coming here, and I felt like that weekend was definitely a step forward for women's basketball.”
Caitlin Clark’s injury in Fever vs. Sun
Clark rolled her ankle midway through the second quarter of Monday’s game v. the Sun while trying to navigate a screen set by Connecticut forward Brionna Jones.
“I turned it pretty good,” Clark said after the game, per ClutchPoint’s Matthew Byrne. “I think it just got caught … I don't have the best ankles in the world … but yeah … every basketball player's had an ankle injury. If not, you’re not a true baller, I don’t know.”
Clark added, “So, it’ll be a little stiff, but I'll be good.”
Clark reached for her ankle while lying on the ground, prompting Fever head coach Christie Sides to call a timeout to check on her. Clark was taken to the locker room but returned to the bench later in the second quarter and re-entered the game at the start of the third.
Despite her injury, Clark managed to play the rest of the game without further issues.
“Yeah, I was worried,” Sides said. “A lot of worry. But she is tough, she takes hits. You’ve seen the videos of her taking these hits on these screens … she didn’t want anybody to help her off the court. I love that about her… she walked it off herself, did what she needed to do to get back in the game.”
The Fever eventually lost 88-84, dropping to a 0-4 record. Forward Aliyah Boston missed a potential game-tying shot on Indiana’s last possession. The Sun then sealed the victory with two free throws. Sides defended the play call postgame, noting that Boston had made the same shot earlier, but it didn't work out this time.
Clark finished the game with 17 points, tying Kelsey Mitchell for the team lead. She shot 5-for-11 from the field, including three 3-pointers, with five turnovers and five personal fouls over 27 minutes. Notably, Clark reduced her turnovers significantly from her season opener against Connecticut May 9, where she had 10 turnovers. Forward NaLyssa Smith contributed 13 points to back up the guard duo.
The Fever will begin their three-game road trip against Seattle Wednesday.
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