By Matthew Davis
The New York Liberty owning the Indiana Fever looked like a microcosm of how the Fever and the WNBA have been shackled by superstar guard Caitlin Clark’s injuries of late.
Indiana fell 98–77 on July 16 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn without Clark on the court due to a groin injury. Clark was injured the previous night against the Connecticut Sun in Boston during an 85–77 victory at a packed TD Garden.
“Someone who has the ball in her hands as much as Caitlin, the physicality that she’s experiencing for 40 minutes, it causes you to load differently, explode differently, accelerate and decelerate differently,” Fever head coach Stephanie White told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s defeat. “It’s not the free-flowing movement that we want to see. … I think all of those things at times, while it might not be one blow or another, over time can contribute to that. That’s why freedom of movement is a huge emphasis from our coaches’ standpoint when we have conversations at the league level.”
Not only was Clark injured in front of a national audience, her status for the WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday and festivities this weekend is now in doubt. Clark received both an All-Star team selection and entry for the three-point contest at the event in Indianapolis. She was also named the WNBA Player of the Year for the ESPY awards on Wednesday.
“Obviously, she continues to get new awards, she continues to break barriers, and … she continues to do things that we haven’t seen before,” White told reporters after the game.
Indiana (12–11) played for the 10th time without Clark this season due to the injuries, and the Fever dropped to 4–6 without her. Guard Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever with 16 points, and forward Aliyah Boston led in assists with six in addition to her seven points and three rebounds. The Fever shot 8-32 from three-point range without Clark in the lineup.
Clark averages 16.5 points, five rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, and she shoots 27.9 percent from three-point range. Arguably the most popular player in women’s basketball, Clark has been taking physical play from opponents all season.
Now her brother, Colin Clark, has spoken out. The younger Clark, who played basketball at Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa, before graduating in 2023, reacted to Caitlin Clark’s sudden injury after she fired a pass to Mitchell with 39.3 seconds left in the game.
“Make no mistake, this is on the reffing,” Colin Clark posted on X after Tuesday’s game, but later deleted.
While Clark’s latest injury occurred without contact, she has taken hits and has been involved in scuffles this season. White acknowledged there is a pattern.
“Can you point it out to one thing or another? No, but I do think the physicality with which teams are able to play with her is a factor,” White said.
The Fever have to find a way to win consistently when Clark isn’t on the court. While Indiana beat the WNBA runner-up Minnesota Lynx 74–59 in the Commissioner’s Cup without Clark on July 2, the Fever didn’t look anything close to that level on Wednesday against the defending champion Liberty (15-6).
Liberty guard Breanna Stewart led the way with a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds plus seven assists. Fellow guard Sabrina Ionescu, who will also be in the three-point contest, scored 15 points, dished nine assists, and grabbed three rebounds.
While Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello knew Clark’s absence would make her team’s job easier, she admitted before the game she wasn’t pleased with the circumstances. Brondello will coach the All-Star team that Clark may play for on Saturday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“You never want to see a player get injured. A player like Caitlin, coming back, has had a few injuries this year. She’s a great player. It would have been good for our crowd to see her. But hopefully they get to see her post All-Star,” Brondello told reporters on Wednesday before the game.
“As for the All-Star game, I’m excited to get to know her a little bit. I think that’s the part of the All-Star is going to coach players you haven’t coached before and getting to know them a little bit, and enjoy the whole celebration,” she added.
