Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark had WNBA fans on the edge of their seats during a recent game against the New York Liberty. The highly-touted prospect and second overall pick in the 2023 draft appeared to suffer a serious ankle injury in the third quarter that could have derailed her breakout season.
With just over 5 minutes remaining in the period, Clark drove hard to the basket looking to score. But as she elevated, she landed awkwardly, causing her right ankle to violently roll inwards. The gruesome scene left the 21-year-old crumpled on the court in obvious pain, slamming her fist in frustration.
Ankle injuries like that often signal a severe high ankle sprain or potential break – an absolute nightmare for the future star who came into the league with enormous expectations. After a record-shattering college career at Iowa State where she led the nation in scoring, all eyes were on Clark to become the WNBA’s next transcendent talent.
However, Clark showed her incredible toughness and resilience by shockingly returning to the game just minutes later. While visibly hobbled and limping heavily, Clark’s mere presence on the court drew a raucous roar of appreciation from the Indiana crowd.
“As soon as I went down, I knew it was just a sprain,” Clark remarked after the tough 91-80 loss. “It hurt like hell at first and I was super frustrated. But the adrenaline kicked in, and I wasn’t going to leave my teammates out there short-handed if I could possibly gut it out.”
Adrenaline and tenacity alone weren’t enough though, as Clark drained two huge three-pointers down the stretch to keep the Fever in the game despite being rendered immobile on defense. She finished with 22 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds in the losing effort.
Her ability to play through such serious pain and impact the game so positively demonstrated exactly why Indiana spent such a high draft pick on the 6’0″ guard. Not only is her talent unreal, but Clark has the fierce competitive fire and mental toughness that elevates all transcendent superstars.
“Caitlin is as tough as nails, plain and simple,” said Fever head coach Christie Sides. “She’s going to be a nightmare for this league for years to come if she can stay healthy.”
While it appears Clark avoided a catastrophic injury, her status going forward remains unclear. The Fever will likely exercise an abundance of caution with their prized rookie, as lower body injuries can linger, especially for basketball players who need to make countless tough cuts and jumps.
But if this latest saga proves anything, it’s that counting out the ultra-competitive Clark would be foolish. She’s attacked every challenge head-on so far in her young WNBA career with resilience and backbone. Her recovery will surely be no different as the future continues looking bright for women’s basketball’s newest rising superstar.