Caitlin Clark Shares the Biggest Lesson She Learned While Out With Injury

The Fever star was limited to 13 games last season because of injuries.

Caitlin Clark only played in 13 games last season. | Indiana Fever/Screengrab

After an incredible rookie season with the Fever, Caitlin Clark’s sophomore season was plagued with injuries that limited her to just playing in 13 games for Indiana.

On Sunday, Clark returned to the practice court with her Fever squad after rehabbing for months. She has no limitations at practice. Staying healthy is her No. 1 priority.

“Taking care of my body at this point in the season is probably the most important thing,” Clark said, via ESPN. “Whether that's recovery, whether that's pre-court treatment, whatever it is. I think it's those type of things.”

While she was out for the majority of last season, though, Clark felt like she was able to still learn a lot from the sidelines, even if it was difficult for her to not play.

“Speaking to last year, obviously I was in no reps because I wasn’t playing. It’s hard, it’s very isolating to come to practice every single day and spend two hours getting treatment and rehab,” Clark said. “You come out here and you have to show up and be the best teammate that you can be. I think that taught me a lot about what I can do if I’m not on the court.

“I got to be their biggest fan. And I think that was a great experience for me because through a lot of my career, everybody else was my biggest fan. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t cheering for my teammates. I was playing the most amount of minutes, I had the ball in my hands, and when you’re not doing that, you find another way to impact the team.”

Caitlin Clark talked about what she learned last year while spending most of the season injured.

"I got to be their biggest fan. And I think that was a great experience for me because through a lot of my career, everybody else was my biggest fan."

(via @IndianaFever) pic.twitter.com/1PC6UEkWGT

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) April 19, 2026

Clark’s always been a supportive teammate, but being forced to solely be a cheerleader caused her to really focus on how to uplift her teammates. Don’t be surprised if this season you see Clark louder on the bench whenever she’s subbed out.

Fever coach Stephanie White got to see Clark’s initial return when she served as an assistant coach for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup qualifying games. Clark was named MVP for the series because of her powerful performance on the court. It was like she never left.

“I was really thankful that she had that opportunity,” White said. “When you've been training in a rehab kind of scenario, the first opportunity to go in a game is different. I thought her pace was really good. I thought she didn't try to overdo anything. She let the game come to her. ... She did such a great job of finding her spots of understanding time, space, rhythm. All of her timing looked really good. It's hard when you're not playing to simulate that.”

Clark and the Fever will open up their 2026 season on Saturday, May 9 vs. the Dallas Wings, who will be led by reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers and No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd. That will be a matchup for the ages.

---