Fever's Clark: Returning from injuries poses 'mental challenge' - ESPN

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark said her decision to not play Wednesday due to back soreness was dictated in large part by her level of confidence in her body, particularly as she comes back from a variety of injuries that limited her to 13 games last season.

«I think at the end of the day, it's me and my confidence,» Clark told reporters Friday before returning against the visiting Golden State Valkyries. «Coming back from injury and having however many soft tissue injuries [in 2025] is a real mental challenge.»

Clark, who missed her first game of the season Wednesday in a win over the Portland Fire, acknowledged that while people expect her confidence to be steady, it can still be up and down.

«These are the best players in the world, and if I don't feel 100% confident in my body on game five of the year, I don't know if that's really worth it in that scenario,» she said.

Clark played 32 minutes on Friday, posting 22 points and nine assists in a 90-82 win over the Valkyries.

Clark detailed the lead-up to Wednesday's game, saying she received treatment on Tuesday, which wasn't unusual for her, and approached Wednesday as if she was «100% playing.» Once she woke up feeling a little sore on Wednesday, Clark did some physical therapy at home, then got in a pregame workout and lift at Gainbridge Fieldhouse before ultimately deciding not to suit up.

The WNBA confirmed to ESPN on Thursday that it gave the Fever a warning after Clark, who White said did not practice on Tuesday, did not appear on the injury report until 100 minutes before Wednesday's tip, at which point she was ruled out.

«My reaction [to the warning] is, for what?» White said. «Because we did things the right way.»

White wasn't the only one who expressed