WNBA star Caitlin Clark has sustained the first major injury of her career and will be sidelined for at least two weeks with strained left quadriceps, the Indiana Fever confirmed on Monday. Clark played 183 straight regular-season and playoff matches during her four-year season at Iowa.
She then followed it up with a full rookie campaign with the Fever and the first four games of the current season. Her remarkable streak of consistent play spans over seven years. It comes as a major setback for Clark given her outstanding form this season. It's unclear whether Clark had already been dealing with the injury during Saturday's 90-88 loss to the Liberty.
Major Setback for Clark
It is unclear if Clark sustained the injury during the game's dramatic final moment — when Natasha Cloud stole the ball from her as she attempted a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
A visibly upset Clark punched the air in frustration and looked around at the referees with a confused expression.
Fever head coach Stephanie White later said that she thought that Clark had been fouled on the play and slammed the officiating in general, pointing out the major difference in free-throw attempts between the Fever and their opponents in the last three games.
The Indiana Fever have started the season with a 2-2 record but will now be without Clark for at least the next four games, starting with Wednesday's matchup against the Washington Mystics. This stretch also includes two Commissioner's Cup games on June 3 and June 7.
Clark has been a key player for the Fever, averaging 19 points and a league-leading 9.3 assists per game. The team had a busy offseason, bringing in experienced veterans and hiring head coach White in hopes of making a serious push for the championship, with Clark—last year's Rookie of the Year—helping elevate the profile of women's basketball.
Clark's Absence Will Matter
The team said further details about Clark's condition will be shared after she undergoes another medical evaluation. Earlier this month, Clark sat out a preseason game due to stiffness in her left leg, which she described at the time as a minor issue likely caused by playing too much basketball.
It's still unclear whether her current quadriceps injury is related to the earlier leg issue.
According to Christine Brennan of USA Today, the last time Clark sat out a meaningful game was back on November 28, 2017, during her sophomore year at Dowling Catholic High School in Iowa, due to a severe ankle sprain.
"She's been limited in practice, so we're still very cautious about working her way back and really letting her body kind of tell her how much she's able to do," White said last month. "We're really relying on the training staff, and she's making great progress. And that's what we need, just to make sure that we're super cautious."
