Caitlin Clark returns to WNBA competition after 2025 injury, in Fever preseason game

Caitlin Clark had a shaky instrumentality to WNBA enactment connected Saturday aft her season-ending wounded past year.

Clark, successful her archetypal preseason crippled for the Indiana Fever, made conscionable 2 of her 10 tract extremity attempts successful Saturday's preseason crippled against the New York Liberty. However, she did deed a three-pointer, made 2 escaped throws and had 3 rebounds with 4 assists. She played conscionable 17 minutes.

Clark suffered a season-ending wounded to her close groin past July, compounded by a bony bruise connected her near ankle sustained during a workout successful August.

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Caitlyn Clark of the Indiana Fever looks connected arsenic the crippled is astir to commencement against the New York Liberty astatine Barclays Center successful Brooklyn, New York, connected April 25, 2026. (Michelle Farsi/Getty Images)

"It’s not similar I wounded my genu oregon tore my Achilles, oregon thing similar that, sound connected wood," Clark said, per newsman Tony East successful March.. "It was these benignant of nagging injuries that would physique up and physique up, and dealt with 1 connected apical of the other.

"I deliberation that … played with my caput adjacent much than knowing I would beryllium retired for a acceptable play of time. I was ever trying to travel backmost and ever trying to travel back, and past I’d get wounded successful different way."

Prior to Saturday, Clark besides competed for USA Basketball successful the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament successful March.

The Fever and WNBA arsenic a full are depending connected Clark successful 2026, for a large year. The Fever person title aspirations aft falling conscionable 1 crippled shy of the WNBA Finals past twelvemonth with Clark injured. Meanwhile, the WNBA volition beryllium leaning connected Clark to support the league increasing successful presumption of relevance and popularity aft it agreed to wage its players overmuch higher salaries with a caller corporate bargaining statement with the players' national successful March.

As the league's astir fashionable player, the WNBA has a batch to summation from Clark staying steadfast and playing well.

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Team USA's Caitlin Clark reacts during the Women's World Cup 2026 qualifier against Puerto Rico astatine the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot successful San Juan connected March 12, 2026. (Alexa Alejandro/FIBA)

Clark was progressive successful 20 of the 23 WNBA games that drew much than 1 cardinal viewers successful 2024. But successful 2025, nationalist tv viewership for the WNBA saw a important diminution of 55% during a two-week play erstwhile Caitlin Clark was sidelined with a quad injury, per Nielsen ratings.

Clark's Fever teammate Lexie Hull antecedently told Fox News Digital she noticed a quality successful however opposing players started to execute against her squad that year, which she credits to the surge successful popularity.

"Because of the fans that we've gotten since 2024, with the emergence in, I think, like, popularity with the Indiana Fever being similar a sanction that radical know. … And there's a cardinal Fever jerseys and Fever shirts. I think, like, arsenic an opposing team, you'd privation to triumph adjacent much due to the fact that you consciousness there's truthful galore radical rooting," Hull said.

"It's breathtaking to person that benignant of pursuing crossed the country, and I think, like, for different teams, they person large fans and large radical that amusement up for them, and they privation to execute for those people, conscionable similar we privation to execute for ours."

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Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever sits connected the seat aft being taken retired with a imaginable wounded during the 2nd fractional against the Connecticut Sun astatine TD Garden successful Boston, Mass., connected July 15, 2025. (Brian Fluharty/Getty Images)

When asked if she believes games person gotten much carnal arsenic a result, Hull said, "I deliberation conscionable the crippled itself is physical. I don't cognize if it's gotten immoderate much physical. I deliberation societal media amplifies a batch of that.

"I deliberation radical privation to win. I deliberation radical conscionable privation to win. ... [The games] are each physical. … They each get chippy astatine times. Calls get made, calls don't get made. That's conscionable portion of the game."

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