Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark addressed public scrutiny and rejected inaccurate online narratives during a pregame press conference on Friday, May 22, in Indianapolis before returning to action against the Golden State Valkyries following a one-game absence due to a back injury.
The league issued a warning to the Indiana Fever for failing to disclose that the guard would miss the previous game against the Portland Fire on Wednesday, May 20.
Clark was officially ruled out just 100 minutes before tipoff.
"Tuesday, I was here (at Gainbridge Fieldhouse). I got treatment, as I've done many practices before.
As many of my teammates have done," said Caitlin Clark.
According to Fever head coach Stephanie White, the guard did not participate in practice on Tuesday.
White later described the injury as back soreness, noting that the medical staff would handle additional updates.
"I had every intention of playing. Didn't indicate I wasn't gonna play.
Approached Wednesday, that was the day of our game, as (if) I was 100 percent playing. Woke up Wednesday, felt a little sore.
Texted our training staff, texted my personal physio," said Caitlin Clark.
The Indiana Fever publicized her absence on X at 5:20 p. m.
on Wednesday, followed by an official WNBA injury report update at 5:30 p. m.
Clark expressed frustration with online commentary regarding the exact timing of her status update.
"You want to know what I ate for breakfast, too?" asked Caitlin Clark.
The standard transparency rules enforced by professional sports leagues are designed to maintain competitive fairness. Clark continued to detail her daily physical therapy routine before the game.
"So, then I had a fillet. I had two eggs over medium.
I had potatoes and two blueberry waffles with butter and syrup," said Caitlin Clark.
Clark noted that her back can quickly become misaligned. She previously exited the season opener briefly to receive treatment before returning to the court.
"Then I had (physical therapy) at home. Then I came down here about 1 o'clock, and we tried to do everything we can.
Got on the court, I lifted, went through a hard workout," said Caitlin Clark.
The former Iowa player had missed most of the 2025 season due to multiple injuries, including ailments to her left quad, left groin, right groin, and ankle.
"I actually went back and looked because of all of these narratives that are going crazy online about when I told my mom I wasn't playing in the game, (that was at) 4:47," said Caitlin Clark.
The 2025 season limitations left a psychological impact that the guard openly discussed. She acknowledged that managing physical soreness remains part of her current reality.
"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," said Caitlin Clark.
Through the first four games of the 2026 season, Clark averaged a career-high 24.3 points alongside 9 assists and 5 rebounds.
The Fever held a 3-2 record heading into Friday.
"I'm putting my body into my best position I can to and I feel really good and confident in my body," said Caitlin Clark.
The guard emphasized her long-term goal of remaining active for the complete 44-game regular season schedule.
"But there's moments where I still struggle a little bit and I get in my head and things like that and I'm sore.
That's just reality," said Caitlin Clark.
Clark concluded by highlighting the importance of physical confidence when competing against elite professional athletes early in the season.
"These are the best players in the world, and if I don't feel 100 percent confident in my body, like, on Game 5 of the year, I don't know if that's really worth it in that scenario," said Caitlin Clark.
The Indiana Fever secured a 90-73 victory against Portland without Clark on Wednesday.
Her next scheduled game is an away matchup against the Golden State Valkyries on May 28.
"I wanna play every single game.
I wanna play 44 games in a season, I'm doing everything I can to do that," said Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark Multi-Year WNBA Statistics
- 2024 (40 games): 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 5.6 turnovers, 41.7/34.4/90.6 shooting
- 2025 (13 games): 16.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 5.1 turnovers, 36.7/27.9/82.0 shooting
- 2026 (4 games): 24.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, 9 assists, 1.5 steals, 4.2 turnovers, 42.5/32.4/100 shooting
The Indiana Fever travel to face the Portland Fire on May 30 following their road game at Golden State.
