Stephanie White comments on Caitlin Clark's downgraded injury status

USA Today

4 days ago

Before the Indiana Fever's (12-11) 98-77 blowout loss to the New York Liberty (15-6) in Brooklyn, NY on Wednesday night, head coach Stephanie White provided some clarity on the decision to downgrade the injury status of guard Caitlin Clark and whether the franchise cornerstone will be able to participate in this weekend's WNBA All-Star festivities.
Clark's status for the matchup against the Liberty began with an optimistic outlook, as she was listed as "questionable" on the team's initial injury report. However, the former Hawkeye was later downgraded to "out" on the Fever's updated injury report before tip-off from the Barclays Center.
When asked by reporters in her pregame media availability about Clark's status for both Wednesday night's game and the upcoming All-Star Game in Indianapolis, White said there had not been any discussion about her ability to play in the league's midseason event and revealed that Clark had imaging done before the game that led to the decision to keep the guard out against the Liberty.
"No discussion yet about this weekend. There was imaging done, and, you know, obviously ruling her out for tonight, but there hasn't been any discussion beyond tonight," White said.
Clark's injury occurred with 39 seconds remaining in Indiana's 85-77 win over Connecticut on Tuesday night from Boston's TD Garden when she delivered a pass to Kelsey Mitchell for an easy layup, but came up in pain and went straight to the bench while reaching for her right groin. During the timeout, she covered her head with a towel and appeared to be holding back tears.
With Clark missing the team's lopsided Wednesday night defeat, she will have now missed 11 total regular-season games this season, spanning four separate injury stints.
White continued to answer All-Star Game-related questions by stating Clark's management team will figure out whether she'll be able to participate this weekend, but emphasized that the Fever will be providing continuous support for the injured star no matter what.
'For me, it's a big deal for us to have All-Star in Indianapolis, and of course, with Caitlin being a focal point of all of that. As the coach of the Indiana Fever, it's not a bigger deal than our long-term season, but it's also part of the fun. So those are conversations that Caitlin will have with her group. I probably won't be a part of those, but we're going to support her no matter what," White added.
'I think the biggest thing is just try to keep her in good spirits,' White said. 'Had a lot of setbacks with all these little injuries. And, you know, we just had to take it one day at a time. It's frustrating for her, I'm sure. I think for us as a staff and as a team, just try to keep her encouraged and try to keep her to stay the course,' White stated.
Clark was scheduled to take part in the WNBA 3-Point Contest on Friday at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis as part of All-Star Weekend. Clark is also one of the team captains for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. CT on ABC
Regarding how she views Clark's ability to play in Fever games beyond the All-Star break, White deferred to the team's training staff for more details, except to say that she considered the "day-to-day" status as good news.
'For me, anything that we're talking about that's still day to day is always good news for me, but that's a layman's viewpoint,' White said.
The goal during the brief hiatus for the remaining Fever players not involved in the 2025 All-Star Game will be to rest and regroup in preparation for a strong push towards the playoffs when they resume action next week.
The Fever will be tested immediately after the All-Star break, as they return to Brooklyn on July 22 for another matchup against the Liberty at Barclays Center, which will begin at 7 p.m. CT and be nationally broadcast on ESPN.
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