Clark: ‘It feels nice to finally be back to 100%’
Caitlin Clark has returned to the court and is back playing basketball. The Indiana Fever standout is among 17 players invited to attend USA Basketball’s training camp this month in Durham, North Carolina.
Clark appeared in just 13 games for the Fever during the 2025 season after battling multiple injuries. She suffered a groin injury in a July 15 win over the Connecticut Sun, then later aggravated her left ankle and was diagnosed with a bone bruise following a workout in Phoenix in early August.
When asked in August whether the ankle issue would affect Clark’s recovery from the groin injury, a Fever spokesperson told The IX Basketball that there was no set timeline for her return. The organization emphasized its priority was allowing Clark as much time as necessary to fully heal, noting that she continued to work diligently toward a complete recovery.
Clark had hoped to return during the 2025 season — which ended with the Fever falling just five minutes short of reaching the WNBA Finals — but her recovery ultimately took longer than expected. She was officially shut down for the season in early September.
During her October exit interview, Clark explained that the ankle injury complicated her rehab from the groin issue. She said the setback occurred during what was supposed to be her second full-court workout in Phoenix, when her ankle rolled forward while making a move, resulting in one of the most severe sprains she’s experienced. Clark added at the time that she expected her first return to five-on-five action to come with Team USA.
That prediction came true this week, as Clark returned to the floor. Fever teammate Aliyah Boston and head coach Stephanie White are also involved with the national team.
“It feels good to finally be fully healthy again,” Clark said Friday. “I did everything I could to try to get back on the floor and help my team, but it just wasn’t able to happen.”
Despite dealing with injuries, Clark was still named a WNBA All-Star last season and performed at a high level in the games she did play. She averaged 16.5 points and 8.8 assists per game, and the Fever went 8–5 with her in the lineup — a pace that would have translated to a 27-win season and potentially a first-round playoff series at home.
Instead, Indiana opened the postseason on the road against the Atlanta Dream. The Fever weren’t fazed, advancing past Atlanta before pushing eventual champion Las Vegas to overtime in Game 5 of the semifinals at Michelob Ultra Arena. It’s hard not to speculate how much more the team might have accomplished if Clark had been healthy.
“I gave it everything I had to try to play, but my body just wasn’t cooperating,” Clark added. “I kept rehabbing, and now I finally feel 100 percent. It honestly took longer than I expected, but my body feels great now.”
Clark explained that her first major injury has given her a new outlook, particularly when it comes to leadership and empathizing with teammates dealing with injuries. She said she now has a deeper understanding of what sidelined players experience and hopes to be more intentional about checking in on them through messages and thoughtful gestures. Aside from her physical recovery, that shift in perspective stands out as the biggest lesson from her 2025 season.
As for being back on the court, Clark finally returned to game action for the first time in nearly six months. “I felt like I was moving really well,” she said, calling the experience especially rewarding.
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