Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever enter the 2026 WNBA season with unfinished business. A devastating wave of injuries, two groin strains and a left ankle sprain, limited Clark to just 13 regular-season games in 2025.
These setbacks derailed what many had anticipated to be a breakout sophomore campaign. Indiana still made the semifinals, but the question of what this team looks like with a healthy Clark for a full season has lingered all offseason.
The preseason offered fans a glimpse of what this team can do with Clark on the floor, but it produced its own scare. In Thursday’s preseason game against the Dallas Wings, Clark landed awkwardly on her right kneecap after a hard foul from Wings forward Alanna Smith and did not return for the remainder of the night.
Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
When she took the floor the following Saturday against the Nigerian National Team, Clark was sporting a leg sleeve, enough to raise eyebrows among a fanbase already conditioned to worry about her availability.
On Tuesday at practice, Clark was asked about the sleeve and if it had anything to do with the severity of her injury. Anticipating the question before it was even asked, she joked: “Just a little compression on the leg, I don’t know,” Clark said (via IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson).
It is welcome news for a franchise banking heavily on Clark staying healthy as Indiana’s championship ceiling will depend heavily on her availability.
The Fever open their regular season Saturday against the Dallas Wings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, with live coverage on ABC.
