Injuries were the story for Caitlin Clark last season, as she missed 31 games out of a possible 44 with the Indiana Fever. She is finally set to return and participate in the FIBA World Cup, playing for the Women's U.S. team. Leading up to that tournament, Clark shared how she feels about finally returning to action.
The 24-year-old guard admitted that she will likely feel nervous once she takes the court for the first time since July 2025, according to Chloe Peterson of the Indianapolis Star. Clark feels she will have to adjust to playing basketball again, but also claims that once she starts running around the court, she will eventually settle in.
“I think it'll probably take me a second to knock a little bit of the rust off,” said Clark. “I'll probably be a little bit nervous, which I usually don't get nervous, but that probably just will come from, you know, I haven't really played basketball in a while. I'm sure after the first minute of running around on the court, I'll be just fine. But more than anything, just really excited.”
Caitlin Clark struggled to remain healthy last season as she was dealing with a right groin injury, along with a bone bruise in her left ankle. After rehabbing the injury throughout the offseason, the 2024 Rookie of the Year is deemed fully healthy for the FIBA World Cup and the 2026 WNBA season.
Her numbers took a bit of a dip in 2025 compared to her electric rookie campaign in 2024. However, that is likely due to the struggles with injuries and only playing in 13 games. Clark ended her second year in the WNBA averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest while shooting 36.7% from the floor and 27.9% from beyond the three-point line.
