Indiana Fever fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their star guard, Caitlin Clark, is OK after suffering an apparent injury on Thursday, April 30.
The scare happened in the third quarter of the Fever’s 95-80 preseason loss to the Dallas Wings, when Clark, 24, attempted a shot while guarded by Alanna Smith. Smith, 29, appeared to extend her leg into the Fever star’s landing area, and she hit the floor after the collision.
Clark was able to limp off the court under her own power then return to make two free throws after Smith was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul. She did not return to the game after that.
“I feel good. I just landed on my kneecap really hard,” Clark told reporters after the game. “I know there’s a committee of people that really wanted them [the referees] to start calling things, and I thought they did a great job of that. Honestly, I thought the refs were great, and it’s preseason, so you’re probably going to see more fouls called. I expect that number to drop. But I think overall, it’s going to improve the product.”
Fever coach Stephanie White added that, because it was a preseason game, Clark was not going to remain on the court much longer anyway.
“It was just an extra precaution getting her out in that moment, but the plan was for her to start the third quarter and then get her out quickly,” she said.
The Fever’s loss was Clark’s first home game since July 2025. She missed the second half of last season with a series of injuries, but told reporters during training camp that she would enter the 2026 season completely healthy.
“I’m a person that doesn’t want to sit out a single rep. Like, I want to be in there every single time,” she said in April, adding that she will have no playing restrictions when the season starts.
She continued, “I love competing and I love playing. None of that has changed. But I think just being a little bit smarter with my body and understanding what that takes … whether that’s recovery, whether that’s pre-court treatment, whatever it is.”
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White, 48, added that she would need to be mindful of Clark’s playing time in an attempt to preserve her through what will be the longest season in WNBA history.
“She doesn’t have to be out there every rep, just being mindful,” White said. “Every year that she gets older, she understands the cadence is a little bit different.”
The Fever will open the regular season on May 9, also at home against the Wings.
