Fever star Caitlin Clark said at exit interviews she is finally starting to feel like herself again.
Clark said she plans to rest before jumping back into rehab now that the season is over.
Clark did not have much to say about WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s alleged remarks regarding her sponsorships.
‘I’ve been working really hard to get back to full health and I feel like, probably, over these last couple of weeks is when I’ve probably started feeling my best.’ said Clark, who suffered a right groin injury on July 15 and, then, as she was preparing to come back, a bone bruise in her left ankle. ‘My ankle didn’t allow me to really see where my groin was at.’
Clark suffered the ankle injury in a workout session in Phoenix on Aug. 7.
‘I just went to kind of make a move and unfortunately my ankle completely rolled all the way forward and probably one of the worst sprains I’ve dealt with,’ Clark said. ‘But I’ve just tried to stay positive best I can, but I honestly feel like I’m in a really good spot.
‘People don’t always realize … when you’re injured, it’s honestly more work than when you’re playing.’
The Fever fell in Game 5 of the semifinals to the Las Vegas Aces in overtime on Tuesday. They had five players, including Clark and Sophie Cunningham, suffer season ending injuries. Kelsey Mitchell also went out in Game 5 with severe lower body cramping. Mitchell said Wednesday she suffered from a rare muscle condition called rhabdomyolysis that is the result of overexertion.
Clark said she plans to rest before jumping back into rehab now that the season is over.
‘I will probably take a little bit of a break here just for maybe a week,’ Clark said. ‘I don’t really want to set back the work I’ve done. I’m just trying to get my body back to full health, some basketball stuff I need to get ready for. But more than anything, I think my main focus is really just getting my body healthy.’
Clark did not have much to say about WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert’s alleged remarks regarding her sponsorships. Napheesa Collier said during her Minnesota Lynx exit interview that Engelbert has suggested that Clark should be thanking the league for her financial opportunities.
‘I have great respect for Phee, and I think she made a lot of very valid points,’ Clark said. ‘What people need to understand, we need great leadership at this time across all levels. This is straight up the most important moment in this league’s history, and this league’s been around for 25-plus years, and this is a moment we have to capitalize on.’
Clark was asked if she learned anything from being on the sidelines for most of the season.
‘There was certainly some hard days,’ Clark said. ‘I think it taught (me) how to be a really good leader, how to be a really good teammate and how to empathize for your teammates in certain situations. When you are in the heat of battle, your emotions are high and you feel things differently. … When you’re on the sidelines and you don’t have a jersey on, you can observe and really watch people and learn about people.
‘Probably the biggest lesson I learned … is just how can I show up every single day and pour into them and be there for them. … If I have a teammate that’s injured or hurt or going through a tough moment, I know I’ll always show up for them and be there for them and check in on them because it is incredibly isolating and you don’t realize that until you go through it.’