Fans of the Indiana Fever can relax, as their star guard, Caitlin Clark, is doing well following a potential injury on Thursday, April 30.
The incident occurred during the third quarter of the Fever’s 95-80 preseason defeat to the Dallas Wings. Clark, who is 24, was attempting a shot when she collided with Alanna Smith, 29, who seemed to extend her leg into Clark’s landing area, causing Clark to fall.
Clark managed to limp off the court on her own and returned to successfully make two free throws after Smith received a Flagrant 1 foul. Clark did not play for the remainder of the game.
After the game, Clark reassured reporters, “I feel good. I just landed on my kneecap really hard. There’s a committee of people that wanted the referees to start calling things, and I thought they did a great job. Honestly, I thought the refs were great, and it’s preseason, so you’re probably going to see more fouls called. I expect that number to drop. But I think overall, it’s going to improve the product.”
According to Fever coach Stephanie White, Clark was not expected to stay on the court much longer since it was only a preseason game.
“It was just an extra precaution getting her out in that moment, but the plan was for her to start the third quarter and then get her out quickly,” White explained.
This game marked Clark’s first home appearance since July 2025. She had missed the latter half of the previous season due to various injuries but indicated during training camp that she was entering the 2026 season in full health.
In April, Clark expressed, “I’m a person that doesn’t want to sit out a single rep. Like, I want to be in there every single time,” emphasizing there would be no playing restrictions at the start of the season.
She further added, “I love competing and I love playing. None of that has changed. But I think just being a little bit smarter with my body and understanding what that takes … whether that’s recovery, whether that’s pre-court treatment, whatever it is.”
White, who is 48, noted that it would be crucial to manage Clark’s playing time to maintain her performance throughout what is anticipated to be the longest season in WNBA history.
“She doesn’t have to be out there every rep, just being mindful,” White remarked. “Every year that she gets older, she understands the cadence is a little bit different.”
The Fever is set to begin the regular season on May 9, once again hosting the Wings at home.
