Caitlin Clark has released a heartbreaking statement to confirm her WNBA season is over. The Indiana Fever star has endured an injury-hit campaign and was previously forced to miss matches due to quad and groin problems. Her current plight has been caused by a right groin injury, which has left her unable to return to the court in time for the season climax.
Fever are due to take on Chicago Sky on Saturday ahead of a clash with Washington Mystics the following day. And the team then host Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday evening. Fever are currently behind Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty in the Eastern Conference table, with the play-offs due to get underway next Sunday.
“I had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season,” Clark explained in an emotional statement on X (formerly Twitter).
“I spent hours in the gym every day with the singular goal of getting back out there – disappointed isn’t a big enough word to describe how I am feeling.
“I want to thank everyone who had my back through all the uncertainty. This has been incredibly frustrating, but even in the bad, there is good.
“The way the fans continued to show up for me, and for the Fever, brought me so much joy and important perspective. I am so proud of how this team has only gotten stronger through adversity this year. Now it’s time to close out the season and claim our spot in the play-offs.”
Fever face a battle to reach this season’s play-offs, with the team winning just 21 of their 41 matches this term.
Teams are split into the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference and are ranked by their win percentage. The eight teams with the highest win percentage across the two divisions qualify for the play-offs.
Fever currently have the eighth best win percentage, with Western Conference teams Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries and Seattle Storm all enjoying a superior record. But Fever do enjoy a healthy advantage over Los Angeles Sparks, who have the ninth best record.
Last month, the sister of Clark’s Fever team-mate Sophie Cunningham took aim at WNBA chiefs and accused them of failing to protect players.
The remark came after Sophie collided with Bria Hartley from Connecticut and was forced off after clutching her knee. Fever have subsequently confirmed that the star will also miss the rest of the season due to the injury.
Lindsey Cunningham, who used to play for Missouri and now works as the assistant director of development at the Tigers women’s basketball team, wrote on X: “.@WNBA maybe you should focus less on fining players for commenting on your poor officiating & more about hiring officials that are able to call a consistent game and protect your athletes. Pathetic. Praying for you .@sophaller.”
