WNBA Legend Got Brutally Honest on How Caitlin Clark Can Recover From Groin Injury

The short and sad answer: Clark may never fully recover.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts on the bench after injuring her groin against the Connecticut Sun at the end of Tuesday's game. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark's second year in the WNBA hasn't gone nearly as well as she would've hoped, with the Indiana Fever star missing her 11th game on Wednesday's night due to a new groin injury.

Clark suffered the injury in the final minute of the Fever's win over the Connecticut Sun earlier this week and could be sidelined for yet another lengthy stretch this season. Her status for the WNBA three-point contest and All-Star game, both of which are set to take place in her home arena over the weekend, is also in doubt.

As Clark continues to work her way up to full health in what feels like a vicious and endless cycle of injuries, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie didn't offer a very optimistic outlook for the superstar guard.

Leslie said on CBS Sports' WNBA pregame show that she, too, suffered a groin injury back when she was still in the league and had to go through a long and arduous recovery process.

"I actually had that injury, 2006. And listen, I was heavily taped around my thigh, around my glute, just trying to make sure there was enough pressure to hold that groin," Leslie said. "The hard part is that the groin is an area that you can't just touch and go, 'Oh, it hurts right here.' You feel it deep. You have to get a lot of deep treatment whether it's ice or heat or rest.

"I think that injury is really tough because it lingers. No matter how much medicine you take, you can feel fine, [then] you get back out there—one move, one change of direction, and boom you're right back feeling that same type of pain."

"I can still feel that injury linger because I don't know that it ever goes away, you just learn to manage and play with it."

Lisa Leslie reacts to Caitlin Clark's groin injury after experiencing the same injury herself. pic.twitter.com/w8GxzNUAfo

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When asked how she recovered from her groin injury, Leslie admitted she was still feeling the lingering effects nearly two decades later.

"To be honest, I play tennis and I can still feel that injury linger because I don't know that it ever goes away, you just learn to manage and play with it," continued Leslie.

The severity of Clark's injury is still unknown. Fever coach Stephanie White said after Tuesday's game that Clark was getting evaluated; no details have come out since then, and the team is reportedly prioritizing her long-term health.

Though Clark entered the 2025 season with a mostly clean bill of health, she can't seem to catch a break as she continues to deal with one of the most fickle injuries an athlete can have.

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