Stephanie White Explains Reason for Keeping Caitlin Clark out of Fever Preseason Game

Indiana Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark has officially been ruled out of her team's 2025 WNBA preseason debut against the Washington Mystics.

Game Status Report for today's game against Washington:

Caitlin Clark - Out (Left Leg) pic.twitter.com/3NIi2G4FRQ
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 3, 2025

While nobody would have expected this one day ago, Clark's status initially became uncertain on Friday afternoon, as the Fever's social media team posted an injury status report that read, "Tomorrow's Game Status Report vs Washington:

"Caitlin Clark - Questionable (Left Leg)".

When speaking with the media before Saturday's game, Clark said, "Just a little tightness," per an X post from James Boyd of The Athletic. "I'll go through warmups and everything, and then they'll decide if I'm gonna go or not. But it will be the medical team's decision."

Fever head coach Stephanie White also spoke with the media. And while she didn't rule Clark out when speaking, the comments she made around her star player's injury indicate the reasoning behind having her sit out on Saturday.

"The biggest thing is we've got to think long-term," White said, per an X post from Chloe Peterson of IndyStar. "We've got to make sure we're not putting Caitlin at risk for injury. We're not putting our team in a position where we're thinking short-term and not long-term. It's a long season, four more games than last season. So we want to make sure that we're extra cautious and put her health and wellness first and foremost.

"Positive progress has been made, but we can't be shortsighted," White added.

White’s full answer: https://t.co/QvOVdNKjwH pic.twitter.com/6555B3Ztlr
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) May 3, 2025

Despite Clark being kept out on Saturday, one would imagine she'll suit up for her homecoming game at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena on May 4.

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