The absence of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has loomed large over the Fever, but head coach Stephanie White said Clark is making steady progress toward her return.
Clark (right groin) has been ruled out of the Fever’s home game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday — marking her 17th consecutive missed game and her 25th overall absence this season. Although there’s no timeline for Clark’s return, it is a positive sign that she’s returned to some team activities. Clark went through a walkthrough with the team on Monday and Tuesday and also participated in shootaround and non-contact drills on Aug. 24, marking her first time working out with the team since suffering a right groin injury on July 15.
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The Fever staff has been extra cautious with Clark, who has battled numerous soft issue injuries this season. But White said Clark’s return to the court will ultimately come down to how fast she can get her legs underneath her and get back into game shape.
“I want to see her live in practice,” White said. “I want to see (Clark) continue to work to not just building endurance, but to be able to handle contact … and sustain from an endurance standpoint. That’s going to take multiple practices to make sure that there’s no regression.”
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Here’s what we know about Clark’s right groin injury, including a complete injury timeline and her anticipated return:
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Is Caitlin Clark playing Friday? Injury status for Fever-Sparks
Clark (right groin injury) is not playing in the Fever’s matchup against the Sparks on Tuesday in Los Angeles, which tips off at 10 p.m. ET on ION. There is no timetable for her return.
How was Caitlin Clark injured?
Clark suffered a right groin injury in the final minute of the Fever’s 85-77 victory over the Sun at TD Garden in Boston on July 15. With 39.1 seconds remaining in the contest, Clark completed a bounce pass to Kelsey Mitchell to put the Fever up 84-75. After the pass, Clark immediately grabbed for her right groin and grimaced as she gingerly walked to and headbutted the stanchion. She did not return.
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Caitlin Clark injury timeline
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May 24: Clark suffered a left quad injury during the Fever’s 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty, where she recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. Clark couldn’t pinpoint the specific play that caused her injury, but noted that it happened early in the contest. Clark said, “Adrenaline covers up a lot of stuff when you’re in the heat of battle. After the game, I had some pain, and then we got an MRI, and that kind of gave me the result that I didn’t want to see.” She missed the Fever’s next five games.
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June 24: Clark suffered a left groin injury in the Fever’s 94-86 win over the Seattle Storm, which resulted in Clark missing the team’s next four games. Fever coach Stephanie White said she learned of Clark’s groin injury the following night after Clark alerted team trainers of discomfort.
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July 9: Clark returned to the Fever’s lineup in the Fever’s 80-61 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Clark was limited to 10 points, shooting 4 of 12 from the field and 2 of 5 from the 3-point line, in addition to six assists, five rebounds and four turnovers. Following the blowout loss, Clark said it was “going to take me a second to get my wind back. … Just trying to get my legs under me.”
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July 15: Clark suffered a right groin injury in the final minute of the Fever’s 85-77 victory over the Sun at TD Garden in Boston. White later confirmed Clark “felt a little something in her groin.” This marked the last game for which Clark suited up.
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July 18: Clark announced that she would sit out the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, where she was named a team captain. Clark was also set to participate in the 3-point contest. She said, “I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate … I have to rest my body.”
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August 7: Clark reportedly suffered a mild bone bruise in her left ankle while during an individual workout session in Phoenix on Aug. 7, according to The Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network.
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August 8: During an appearance on Sue Bird’s podcast, “Bird’s Eye View,” Clark spoke about the frustrations of her injury-filled season: “It’s not like I have a training camp to build up to play in my first game again. It’s like no, you’re tossed into Game 30 — like, ‘Go try to play well.’ It’s hard, it really is.”
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August 10: Fever coach Stephanie White said Clark has progressed in her recovery and has started running full court again, but Clark hasn’t returned to practice just yet: an important step in her ramp-up. “She’s been able to get a little bit more in her full-court running with all of her body weight… She’s been able to do a little more on the court in terms of how she moves, but not into practice yet,” White said.
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August 20: White confirmed that Clark has not returned to practice yet.
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August 24: Clark participated in a team shootaround and went through some non-contact drills with the second team, marking her first time practicing with the team since suffering a right groin injury on July 15.
Caitlin Clark stats
Clark is averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and a career-high 8.8 assists in 13 games this season. Her assists average is the second-highest in the league, behind Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas (9.3).
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Caitlin Clark injury update: Will Fever guard return vs. Sparks?
