Caitlin Clark injury update: Fever star reveals latest on severity, recovery since being ruled out for year

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark saw much of her second season in the pros lost due to injury. First it was a groin injury, then an ankle injury that caused the former Iowa superstar to miss time.

She played in just 13 games this season before a groin injury sidelined her. Then, while attempting to return from the groin injury, she suffered a devastating ankle injury.

In exit interviews following the 2025 season — the Indiana Fever lost in Game 5 of a WNBA semifinals matchup against the Las Vegas Aces — Caitlin Clark opened up on her ordeal. She described the ankle injury in detail.

“Yeah, honestly, I’ve been working really hard to get back to full health,” Clark told reporters. “I feel like probably over these last couple weeks is when I’ve probably started feeling my best. Obviously, my ankle kind of didn’t really allow me to see where my groin was at. It was I think my second full-court workout back. We were in, I don’t even know what month that would have been, but I just went to kind of make a move, and unfortunately, my ankle like completely rolled all the way forward. Probably one of the worst sprains I’ve dealt with.”

Clark played her last game on July 15. She wasn’t having quite the campaign she put together as a rookie, but she was still rock solid.

She was averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals this year prior to her injury. Importantly, Indiana was just starting to gel when she went out.

The WNBA star opened up on how trying the whole experience was. One thing that was a blessing in disguise, though? She wasn’t officially ruled out for the season until about a month after her initial injury. That gave her something to work toward.

“Honestly, I think that if I never was, obviously played that game in Connecticut and that’s where I felt some more pain in my right groin and then obviously had some tests and other things done,” Caitlin Clark said. “There was no decision of like, ‘This is the end of my season.’ I had full intention of returning. I think in a way that was probably positive for me because that’s how I approached every single day.

“I came in here like I was going to play, I was going to get back out on the court. And it probably would have been even more devastating and more crushing knowing that I was never going to put my uniform back on for the rest of the season. But you just approach it like every single day attack and get better, and it’ll be the same for me going forward. That work doesn’t stop. I think it’s just, I think I’ve had really good perspective on it all, and that’s probably what I’m most proud of too.”

Caitlin Clark still isn’t quite 100%, but she’s getting close again. Close enough to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

She’s doing her best to maintain a healthy attitude going forward, knowing her time will come again. Even if it won’t be until next season.

“Just tried to stay positive the best I can,” Clark said. “But I honestly feel like I’m in a really good spot. People don’t always realize, I mean, people that are kind of in the basketball world or whether you’re in other sports too, when you’re injured it’s honestly more work than when you’re playing. So I’ve spent so much time here in this building this season just trying to get healthy and trying to kind of just get back to 100%.”