Should Fever Fans Worry About Caitlin Clark's Latest Injury Scare?

Indiana Fever fans likely flinch every time Caitlin Clark grimaces.

All of Indiana definitely held its collective breath when Clark started limping in the third quarter of the Fever’s preseason game against the visiting Dallas Wings on Thursday night. Clark exited the game and did not return, which officially elevated the situation to “injury scare” level.

The Wings won, 95-80, but it’s the preseason, so who cares? All anybody at Gainbridge Fieldhouse cared about was the health of their two-time All-Star.

Clark told reporters postgame, “I just landed on my kneecap really hard,” but “I feel good.”

To that end, Fever head coach Stephanie White also told reporters that Clark’s knee incident should not warrant further evaluation and that the Fever “had planned for her to come out” in the third quarter regardless.

Crisis averted, right?

In the short term, this is a nothingburger. But Clark is developing a bit of an injury history, which means that it’s at least a little worrying when Clark hobbles, even if it’s only because she hit her kneecap really hard.

Clark entered the WNBA as the Fever’s No. 1 overall pick in 2024, and she had never missed extended time in her basketball life. During her historic four-year tenure at Iowa, she led the Big Ten in games played twice (2020-21, 2023-24) and led all of NCAA Division I women’s basketball in games played in the 2022-23 season.

That continued in her rookie WNBA campaign, when Clark played all 40 of the 20-20 Fever’s regular-season games. She won Rookie of the Year and earned All-WNBA honors.

But then, last year happened. Clark was limited to just 13 games, and perhaps the most concerning part for projecting forward is that it was due to nagging injuries rather than a big one-time blow.

Last May, a quad strain sidelined Clark for two weeks. She returned on June 14, but she only played five games before suffering a left groin injury. That was followed by another groin injury on July 15. A bone bruise suffered “at a later date during her recovery process,” per the Fever, led the team to officially rule her out for the remainder of the season in early September.

Given Clark’s overall history, it’s far more likely that her sophomore slump was an anomaly than the start of an injury-riddled pro career. It would take more than one season for Clark to earn the unfortunate and, frankly, inhumane label of “injury prone.” But it’s at least something to watch as we head toward the 2026 WNBA season tipping off May 8.

Before Clark’s exit, she and Wings’ 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers were putting on a show. Bueckers finished with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting (4-of-6 from three), while Clark had 21 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor (2-of-3 from three).

Luckily, we get to watch a rematch in a week, as the Fever will face the Wings in their regular-season opener on Saturday, May 9, beginning at 1 p.m. EST on ABC.

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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 1:25 PM.