In devastating news for the entire sports world, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark announced, after multiple bouts with injury throughout the year, that she will not be returning to action for the rest of the 2025 season. This is nothing short of a crushing setback for the Fever, a team that, had the season ended today, would have made it to the postseason.
It will be difficult for the Fever to make it deep into the playoffs without their star player in Clark, but her groin injury problems persisted and returning to action would have made those problems worse. And while this is the smart decision in the long run, what with Clark being just 23 years of age, she is going to be missed dearly by Indiana and the rest of the WNBA.
In fact, even the official WNBA account on X replied to Clark's announcement on her official page.
“🧡🧡,” the WNBA's response reads.
Clark has been the golden girl for the WNBA in her two seasons in the league thus far. She's helped draw record-setting attendance numbers, and everything she does is newsworthy. She can razzle-dazzle every which way, and she's captured the imagination of many as a result. Her season-ending injury is such a disappointing capper to what was already a difficult season for her to begin with.
The Fever star played in only 13 games this year and her numbers were down across the board, suggesting that she already wasn't 100 percent in the first place. Her shooting efficiency, in particular, tanked; her true shooting went down to 49.1 percent all the way from 58.3 in her rookie year.
Perhaps having more time off would help Clark put these injury woes completely in the rearview mirror so she could become the star floor general she's shown she can be.
Fever look to stun the world without Caitlin Clark
If there's some cold comfort to be had in the aftermath of Clark's season-ending injury announcement, it's that the Fever have at least grown accustomed to life without their star point guard. This does not mean that they are better off without Clark, it's that they know how to play without her and even win ballgames.
Still, the Fever have gone 8-5 with Clark in the lineup and 13-15 without her. They are hanging on for dear life to a playoff spot at the moment, and they could end up missing out on the proceedings entirely. But Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston will not allow Indiana to go down without a fight.
