For the third time this season, Caitlin Clark may be missing Indiana Fever games with an injury. Until this season, she had a remarkably clean injury history — not missing a single game across four seasons at Iowa and through her rookie season.
This season, she hasn't played more than five games in a row, missing five games with a left quad strain and then four games with a groin injury. She appeared to re-injure her groin in Tuesday night's win over the Connecticut Sun, although it's not clear if this is a new injury or just an aggravation of her previous groin issue.
At this point, we haven't heard any firm details on about her diagnosis or recovery time. But, considering she just missed four games with a groin injury, her status for tonight's matchup with the New York Liberty is up in the air.
Caitlin Clark is questionable for tonight's matchup against the Liberty
The Fever have listed Clark as questionable on the official injury report, and she will address the media just before 6:00 p.m. ET, when we'll presumably hear more about the nature and severity of the injury.
While the game against the Liberty is a big one, both for the standings and for momentum and bragging rights, the bigger question is whether she'll be able to participate in All-Star Weekend. Indianapolis is hosting the WNBA All-Star festivities for the first time ever and Clark was expected to be the face of the event, competing in the 3-Point Contest Friday night and acting as a captain for her squad in the All-Star Game on Saturday night.
If Clark is unable to participate, commissioner Cathy Engelbert will be tasked with naming a replacement for both the All-Star Game roster and the 3-Point Contest. Earlier today, we ran through the possibilities and landed on Brittney Sykes as the most likely injury replacement, with already-All-Star and Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell sliding into the starting lineup and replacing Clark in the 3-Point Contest.
This is a huge event for both Clark and the league, and the temptation could be high for her to push through and try to play. But what matters most here is the Fever's championship chase and Clark's long-term health. Let's hope everyone involved is able to keep that front of mind.