Caitlin Clark’s Return Matters More Than Any Matchup for Fever Anticipation
The WNBA revealed the 2026 schedule despite ongoing CBA negotiations. And of course, the first thing many fans did was circle certain dates on the calendar.
For the Indiana Fever, there are matchups that will draw more attention than others, but really, one could put a blindfold on and point to any game on the schedule to build anticipation.
That's because the Fever resuming play means Caitlin Clark will finally be back on the floor in WNBA action.
It's no secret that Clark has served as the catalyst for the explosive growth of the league and has pushed the Fever toward the forefront of the marquee franchises in sports. But her second professional season was cut short due to injury, and it has been a long wait to see her back on the court for extended run.
I’d literally play a middle school or the Dream Team I DO NOT CARE GIVE ME CAITLIN ON THE COURT https://t.co/6w0VLgSB6B
— Jess (@FeverBandwagon) January 21, 2026
This is why the Fever playing basketball at all, regardless of opponent, feels like an event.
USA Basketball Teased Caitlin Clark's Return
The good news for Fever fans is that Clark has already had a chance to knock some of the rest off. Despite not playing in a WNBA game since July, Clark was a part of USA Basketball's training camp in December—where she declared herself 100% healthy.
That doesn't mean there wasn't an adjustment after such a prolonged absence, but Clark received a strong review from USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird.
"I thought she looked great, right? I mean, here's a player that didn't get to play this summer. All in, she didn't get to play a lot of basketball, really, in the last year-plus. So for this to be the first day back, she looked great," Bird said of Clark.
Here's what USA Women's National Team managing director Sue Bird had to say after the first day of USA Basketball training camp: pic.twitter.com/B8RagXEIdd
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) December 12, 2025
"The things that are going to be hard is always the conditioning part. It's really hard to get in basketball shape without playing basketball. So I'm sure that's gonna come as the camp comes. But she looks great regardless, outside of that. And the other thing is rhythm. You've got to find your rhythm. And I'm sure everybody saw that one step-back in transition she had, so the rhythm looks great," Bird added.
Caitlin Clark Appears Ready to Go for Fever
Clark has been active on social media of late, including sharing some footage of her tossing a football to Fever player development coach Rob Dozier, where she was most importantly once again on a basketball court.
All signs point to Clark being antsy to get back into WNBA action, which is why matchups are irrelevant when it comes to the Fever's schedule.
Why is CC literally good at everything she does 😭🏈 pic.twitter.com/Os0Xu12jX7
— allison (@_girltalk) January 21, 2026
Because simply having Clark back in the fold is enough to rev up anticipation.
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Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his popular YouTube channel. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak On SI and Indiana Fever On SI!
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