Timeline: Caitlin Clark's injury-riddled first half of the WNBA season

The WNBA's archetypal All-Star Game successful Indianapolis was expected to beryllium a crowning accomplishment for Caitlin Clark successful her 2nd season. She was named a skipper successful Saturday's All-Star Game and planned to enactment successful the 3-point situation connected Friday. Instead, Clark volition again ticker from the sidelines, a show that has go each excessively acquainted this season.

Clark ne'er missed a crippled during 4 years astatine the University of Iowa oregon during her rookie WNBA play successful 2024, but 3 abstracted injuries person sidelined the Indiana Fever defender for 10 regular-season games this summertime (as good arsenic the Commissioner's Cup final, which doesn't number toward squad records). Most recently, a right groin sprain suffered successful a crippled connected July 15 has forced Clark retired of the All-Star Game, wherever she was the starring vote-getter successful instrumentality balloting.

Last year's Rookie of the Year and a 2024 first-team All-WNBA selection, Clark is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals this season, appearing successful 13 games.

Clark's absences person enactment a damper connected an Indiana play that started with existent promise. After making the postseason for the archetypal clip since 2016 past year, the Fever entered this play with precocious hopes aft a engaged offseason that included respective cardinal escaped cause acquisitions and bringing backmost Stephanie White for her 2nd stint arsenic Fever caput coach. Indiana (12-11) sits successful sixth spot successful the WNBA standings astatine the All-Star break.

We way Clark's injuries, absences and shooting this season, arsenic good arsenic cardinal unit moves that person impacted the Fever.

May 3: Left limb soreness sidelines Clark for Indiana's accumulation opener

Clark, who dealt with a near quad wounded during grooming camp, sits retired the Fever's archetypal preseason game, a 79-74 overtime triumph implicit the Washington Mystics, with what she describes arsenic quad tightness.

But Clark plays the pursuing time erstwhile the Fever bushed the Brazilian nationalist squad 108-44 successful an exhibition crippled astatine Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena, punctuating the nighttime with a 36-foot 3-pointer from conscionable down the spot connected the tribunal that has her No. 22 logo affixed.

May 26: Left quad sprain sidelines Clark

Indiana opens the play 2-2 -- losing its 2 games by a combined 3 points -- but 9 days into the season, the Fever denote Clark volition miss astatine slightest 2 weeks with a near quad sprain. While connected the aforesaid leg, a squad spokesperson said it's a antithetic wounded from what Clark dealt with successful the preseason.

White said Clark wasn't definite erstwhile the wounded happened but had reported immoderate symptom successful her limb aft a May 24 nonaccomplishment to the New York Liberty.

Clark misses 5 games from May 28-June 10; Indiana goes 2-3 successful that span.

June 2: Fever motion McDonald to bolster depleted backcourt

Indiana picks up 5-foot-6 constituent defender Aari McDonald via exigency hardship objection aft the Fever autumn beneath 10 disposable players -- Sophie Cunningham and Syndey Colson were besides retired with little injuries.

On June 3, aft Indiana has mislaid its archetypal 2 games without Clark, McDonald comes disconnected the bench for the Fever against Washington. She posts 7 points, 5 assists and 3 steals successful 27 minutes.

McDonald is waived connected June 13, per CBA rules, erstwhile Clark and Cunningham are ruled available.

play

1:38

Caitlin Clark puts connected a amusement with 25 first-half points successful her return

Caitlin Clark lights it up with six 3s and 25 points successful the archetypal fractional successful her archetypal crippled backmost from wounded for the Fever.

June 14: Clark returns, drops 32 points successful archetypal crippled successful 21 days

Clark makes a connection successful her archetypal crippled back, totaling 32 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds to manus the New York Liberty their archetypal nonaccomplishment of the season. Clark scores 25 points by halftime, fueled by a agelong successful the archetypal 4th wherever she drains 3 consecutive 3-pointers, the archetypal from 33 feet. She nails a 27-footer 21 seconds later, and a 31-footer 22 seconds aft that. She finishes with 7 treys.

Clark, who accounts for 54 of Indiana's points done her scoring and passing successful the 102-88 triumph implicit the defending WNBA champs, plays 31 minutes, 18 seconds, and says aft the crippled that she felt good different than being a small winded a fewer times.

"My legs felt truly strong. I felt successful bully shape," she said.

• How Clark helped Fever extremity Liberty's cleanable season

June 26: Clark is ruled retired again

Clark plays successful 5 consecutive games -- the Fever spell 3-2, including a 94-86 triumph astatine the Seattle Storm connected June 24 to drawback a two-game losing streak connected the road. But Clark, who shoots 0-for-6 connected 3-pointers against the Storm, is ruled retired 2 days aboriginal owed to a near groin sprain up of a location crippled against the Los Angeles Sparks.

White says earlier the crippled she recovered retired astir the wounded precocious the erstwhile night, aft the team's grooming unit had taken Clark for an MRI.

Before she's sidelined again, Clark goes 1-for-23 from the 3-point enactment successful a three-game stretch.

July 9: Clark returns but Fever autumn beneath .500

In her archetypal crippled successful 15 days, Clark tallies 10 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 turnovers successful conscionable little than 25 minutes successful an 80-61 nonaccomplishment to the Golden State Valkyries.

The nonaccomplishment drops the Fever to 9-10 connected the play -- 5-5 with Clark connected the level and 4-5 without her.

White says the Fever's "lack of competitory fire" led to the loss.

July 15: Clark suffers close groin injury; shooting woes continue

The Fever reel disconnected 3 consecutive wins arsenic the All-Star interruption approaches, improving their grounds to 12-10, 2 games supra .500 for the archetypal clip this season. But successful the last infinitesimal of an 85-77 triumph implicit the Connecticut Sun, Clark pulls up arsenic she's driving toward the basket, dishes a bounce walk and past holds the wrong of her close thigh. Visibly frustrated, concisely resting her caput against the stanchion, Clark leaves the tribunal portion warring backmost tears, yet covering her caput with a towel.

Clark finishes with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, including 9 points and 2 assists successful the 4th quarter.

But Clark shoots 1-for-7 connected 3-point attempts, hitting conscionable her 2nd 3 connected the roadworthy this season. In her 4 games earlier the latest injury, Clark is 6-for-26 (23.1%) from downtown.

After the game, White tells reporters Clark "felt a small thing successful her groin."

July 16: Clark misses her 10th regular-season game

Clark, who squad officials accidental underwent imaging Wednesday to find the grade of the injury, sits retired her 10th regular-season game. Indiana loses 98-77 astatine the New York Liberty.

White says she volition defer to the Fever's diversion grooming unit connected the trial results, but adds, "I see it bully news" due to the fact that "anything that we're talking astir inactive day-to-day is ever bully quality for me."

July 17: Clark announces she volition beryllium retired All-Star Game, 3-point contest

Clark announces she volition miss Friday's 3-point contention and Saturday's All-Star Game successful Indianapolis.

"I'm incredibly bittersweet and disappointed to accidental I can't participate," Clark writes successful a connection shared by the Fever connected societal media. "I person to remainder my body."

a connection from Caitlin Clark ❤️ pic.twitter.com/zRGZEpqF5R