Caitlin Clark admitted lingering injuries last season took a mental toll as she prepares to return to game action with the United States women’s national basketball team in the upcoming FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournament.
Speaking Saturday before Team USA opens qualifying play in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Clark reflected on a frustrating 2025 campaign that limited her to just 13 games with the Indiana Fever.
The star guard last played on July 15 before groin injuries, and a bone bruise in her left ankle forced her to miss the remainder of the season. Earlier in the year, she had also been sidelined for two weeks with a quad strain.
Clark acknowledged she sometimes tried to push through those issues.
“That’s probably the part that kind of stunk about it,” Clark said, via reporter Tony East.
I felt like I put in so much time and so much energy going into last season, and then obviously I appeared in only about 13 games. And some of those, probably weren’t as healthy as I should’ve been.
Clark’s injuries were debilitating
The injuries were not catastrophic, but the Indiana Fever star said the uncertainty of repeated setbacks proved mentally draining.
“It’s not like I hurt my knee or tore my Achilles,” she said. “It was these nagging injuries that would build up and build up. I was always trying to come back, and then I’d get hurt in another way. I think that played with my mind even more than knowing I would be out for a set period of time.”
In her limited appearances last season, Clark averaged:
- 16.5 points
- 28% from the field
- 8.8 assists
- 5 rebounds
Her upcoming appearance for Team USA will mark her first game action in roughly eight months. The national team is currently holding a minicamp in Miami ahead of its opening qualifying matchup against Senegal on Wednesday.
Clark said her first practices with the team were encouraging.
Clark’s priority is to regain his competitive form
“I felt really great,” she said. “Honestly, I was impressed with how with it I felt. Sometimes I thought maybe it would take me a day or two to get my first step back, but I felt like myself out there.”
With her health improving, Clark said her primary focus now is regaining full conditioning before returning to competitive play.
After facing Senegal, Team USA will play Puerto Rico the following day. The Americans are also scheduled to face Italy on March 14, New Zealand on March 15, and Spain on March 17.
Earlier this week, the team announced roster changes as Monique Billings and Rae Burrell were added to replace injured players Aliyah Boston and Sonia Citron.
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