Indiana Fever On SI

Caitlin Clark Teases Personal Appearance Shift in 2026

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark is doing something different for the new year.
Grant Young|
Aug 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks on to the court during the second half against the Dallas Wings at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Aug 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks on to the court during the second half against the Dallas Wings at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark's physical appearance was one of the biggest storylines in women's basketball last offseason.

This was owed to how Clark fared in her rookie 2024 campaign with the Fever. While she had a record-breaking first season of professional basketball, the WNBA players who were tasked with defending Clark did so with a lot of physicality. This meant that Clark was getting roughed up a lot, and many of her fans worried about whether she could sustain this physical treatment, given her frame.

Clark and the Fever seemingly wondered this as well, and addressed it by spending the offseason in the weight room. Clark added considerable muscle last winter, to the point where her more toned arms made many waves at various points through the offseason.

Unfortunately, this did not bear fruit in the way Clark, the Fever, and fans were hoping for, as No. 22 only played in 13 WNBA games in 2025 because of various soft tissue injuries. While it's impossible to tell for certain whether Clark's more muscular frame caused some of these ailments, that offseason decision certainly didn't help her stay on the court.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts on the bench on July 15, 2025
Jul 15, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts on the bench after a play against the Connecticut Sun in the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

This caused many to wonder whether Clark would try to lose the muscle she had gained in this current offseason. And there might have been an answer during Clark's appearance at the Team USA training camp in Durham, North Carolina, earlier this month, as fans on social media were convinced that she looked leaner at the camp than she did when the Fever's 2025 season was underway.

Caitlin Clark Confirms Personal Appearance Shift for 2026 With Long Hair Reveal

There's certainly one thing about Clark's appearance that will be different in 2026, which was revealed on social media in 2026.

Instagram user @missbellagrundy owns a beauty salon in West Des Moines, Iowa (where Clark is from) that's called Avant Salon. Clark has seemingly been going there for years, as she has posted several photos of Clark getting her hair done at the salon in the past.

The most recent example of this was a December 24 post that was captioned, "All I want for Christmas is hair like CC✨". The post shows a video of Clark's long hair.

The top comment is from Clark, who wrote, "Long hair 2026🤌🏻🔥".

Therefore, Clark is hinting that she'll rock a longer hairstyle next year than fans have seen from her in 2025. While her hair wasn't short, it seems that she's going to let the locks grow longer for the foreseeable future.

Recommended Reading:

Published | Modified
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

Share on XFollow GrvntYoung
Home/News