WNBA star Caitlin Clark won't play in Baltimore on Sunday because of injury

Bennett Conlin, The Baltimore Sun on Sep 4, 2025

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Caitlin Clark sat out the Indiana Fever’s first game at CFG Bank Arena in late May because of a quadriceps injury. She’ll miss Sunday’s game in Baltimore, too.

On Thursday, Clark was officially ruled out for the rest of the season, which includes Sunday’s 3 p.m. game in Baltimore against the Washington Mystics, because of a groin injury. Her quad has recovered, but she injured her groin shortly after returning from the first leg injury. The WNBA superstar is battling lengthy injury absences for the first time in her short professional career.

“I had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season,” Clark posted on social media. “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.”

The guard played in just 13 games for the Fever this season, her second in the WNBA after a prolific career at the University of Iowa. In college, Clark was a two-time Associated Press Player of the Year, and she ended her time with the Hawkeyes as the NCAA’s career scoring leader (3,951 career points). Clark, whose ability to make long-range 3-pointers helped make her one of the most popular players in the country, never won the national championship at Iowa, but she played in the title game in both her junior and senior seasons.

The Fever, who are in line to make the WNBA playoffs, have just three games left in their regular season. The playoffs are scheduled to begin Sept. 14. They’ll make their championship push without Clark.

“Caitlin has worked so hard throughout this time, doing everything possible to recover and return to the court but, ultimately, time is not on our side,” Indiana Fever general manager Amber Cox said in a news release. “While we will continue working with Caitlin and provide her with every resource we have available, there is not enough time left in our season for her to safely return, and her long-term health and well-being remains our top priority. We are looking forward to having her back at full strength to start the 2026 season.”

Despite missing the previous Fever game in Baltimore, Clark’s presence was still notable. There was a significant fan turnout to meet Clark in May, with fans gathering for photos and autographs before the game between the Fever and Mystics. Clark has traveled with the team for much of this season, even when injured.

“This has been incredibly frustrating, but even in the bad, there is good,” Clark wrote in her social post. “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 Playoffs.”

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