Former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar and now Indiana Fever sophomore Caitlin Clark can seemingly no longer suit up for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs. Even if Clark miraculously recovers from her groin injury in time and is cleared to play, she will not be permitted to do so, given a league rule.
Clark’s name was not submitted to coach Stephanie White‘s active Indiana roster for this year’s playoffs. Given the WNBA rules, a player who was deemed ineligible to play before the postseason is not allowed to be re-inserted into the lineup at any point in the playoffs, even if they are cleared by team doctors. This means that Clark’s prior announcement of sitting out will truly take effect until next year.
Apart from her aggravated groin injury, Clark has also suffered injuries to her left quad, left groin, right groin and left ankle, as reported by Chloe Peterson of IndyStar on Thursday, Sept. 18. This limited the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year to just 13 games in her second season in the league, with averages of 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in around 31.1 minutes per contest.
With this, no matter how far the Fever go, Clark will be able to play only next year in the 2026 WNBA season, which will be the 23-year-old’s third campaign in the league. Indiana wrapped up its No. 3 vs. No. 6 seed matchup against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday, where they fought tooth-and-nail to advance to the semifinals after a two-point victory, 87-85, in away territory.
Leading up to that outcome, the Fever dropped Game 1 at Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia, by 12 points, 80-68, on Sunday, Sept. 14. They bounced back to even up the first-round series on Tuesday, Sept. 16, with a 77-60 triumph in their home arena. Despite the injury-riddled roster, the Fever pulled through in the aforementioned Game 3 win on Thursday.
Read More: Fiasco Around Caitlin Clark’s Season Ending Injury Puts Indiana Fever in ‘Questionable’ Position as per Women’s Basketball Analyst
Caitlin Clark Is Joined By Four Teammates In The Inactive Indiana Fever Roster
Apart from Caitlin Clark, four of her teammates are no longer eligible to play in this year’s WNBA Playoffs. These include Chloe Bibby (right knee), Aari McDonald (right foot), Sophie Cunningham (right MCL), and Sydney Colson (left ACL). With this, Indiana is currently fielding a lineup of 11 active players.
The semifinal matchup for the Fever has yet to be determined, but it will be one of the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm on Sunday, Sept. 21, as these two squads are currently duking it out in their Game 3.
Also Read: Atlanta Dream vs Indiana Fever Picks, Predictions, And More (September 18)
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