Caitlin Clark has been sidelined for nearly a month now as she deals with a groin injury. It's been a frustrating season for the second-year pro, as she hasn't been all that available for the Indiana Fever. Clark recently opened up about her injury situation and admitted that she is feeling the financial pressure from the league to return.
During a guest appearance on the “Bird's Eye View” podcast, hosted by WNBA legend Sue Bird, Caitlin Clark admits she feels the pressure to return from injury to help the league with ticket sales and viewership ratings. The 2024 Rookie of the Year also claims that because of her injury, she ensures to make more time to meet fans and sign autographs as a way to make up for her not playing.
“It's definitely been hard. I'm going to go to every road game no matter what. Like whether I'm playing or not,” said Caitlin Clark. “It's hard because obviously I do feel this responsibility of being out there and playing, and not that I think there's like a fear of any of this ever going away. Like that doesn't happen when LeBron or Steph get hurt. They're always going to be there. But like you do want to play, you want to give people something to cheer about or scream about. People spend so much time and money, and resources to come and watch you play…
“And like that's why I've been trying to take as much time as I can. Like I sign autographs for way longer when I'm hurt than when I'm active. So, that's never something I wish for, but I still want to make as much time as I can for people, and you know, give them something that they can remember.”
It's estimated that Caitlin Clark could return at some point in August. However, nothing is set in stone. The Fever are currently in fifth place in the league and fighting for a playoff position. Having Clark back would be a tremendous boost for their chances.
Through 13 games played so far this season, Caitlin Clark is averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game while shooting 36.7% from the floor and 27.9% from beyond the three-point line.