The Indiana Fever caused a stir on Wednesday when they announced that superstar Caitlin Clark would be out of action due to a back injury.
The problem was that the team had released its injury report the day before, and Clark wasn’t on that report.
The sudden, unannounced change set off alarm bells in many WNBA media outlets, starting a debate about how to handle the Fever’s injury and whether the WNBA needs to institute stricter rules regarding coverage.
Indiana coach Stephanie White tried this. The front office allayed concerns in a statement to Sports, saying it’s common for players. He did not participate in practice while not listed on the injury report, adding that the Fever claimed Clark was “on the court at one point” on Tuesday. “When I woke up, I felt some stiffness and pain,” White said of why Clark sustained the scratches at night. She denied that the move was part of a prearranged load management plan, as one reporter suggested.
On Friday, Clark spoke to the media for the first time since Scratch and explained himself.
Caitlin Clark spoke about who or what made the final decision for her to sit out Wednesday’s game.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about me and my confidence.”
Her full commentary on the events that led to her missing the game due to a back injury. @TonyReast:pic.twitter.com/2I29b7F4l4
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) May 22, 2026
“So I woke up on Tuesday and came here and got treatment, like I’ve had a lot of practice, like a lot of my teammates have done,” Clark said. “I had every intention of playing, and I had no intention of not playing. When Wednesday came around, I was playing 100 percent, so that was game day. I woke up on Tuesday feeling a little sore and emailed the training staff and emailed my personal health check.”
Clark then cheekily dissected the day’s breakfast before returning to the day’s summary.
“Then I had PT at home,” she continued. “Then I got here at about 1 p.m. and we tried to do everything we could, get on the court, lift, train hard. And then I actually went back and looked into it, because I told my mom that when I played the game, Because of all the stories that are going wild online about when I was supposed to be at 4:47, you guys found out at 5:20. So one of the most important people in my life found out 40 minutes before you guys did.
“My last two days before Wednesday’s game went like this.”
Clark was then asked what led to his decision not to play in Wednesday’s game.
“I think at the end of the day, it’s all about me and my confidence,” Clark said. “And obviously, I have a great team around me. It’s not just me. For example, I have a lot of faith in the medical staff. I myself have personal people who have really helped me. And, you know, my athleticism, I also talk to him a lot.”
“It’s a real mental challenge to come back from injury and have three soft tissue injuries, maybe more…and these are the best players in the world. And when you don’t feel 100 percent confident in your body, like I did in Game 5 this year, I don’t know if it’s really worth it in that scenario.
“I want to play every game. I want to play 44 games a season. , it can be painful. That’s just the reality. Ask any athlete, any basketball player, any professional sport in the country, and they’ll tell you the exact same thing.”
The WNBA warned the Fever on Thursday for not reporting Clark’s injury status before he was scratched.
Status Update: Caitlin Clark (back) is available for tonight’s game. https://t.co/1lFgLoAZqy
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 22, 2026
Clark will be playing Friday night when the 3-2 Fever will face the 3-1 Golden State Valkreese.
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