Injuries fueled a transformative body program for the Indiana Fever star, reshaping her approach to ensure a thriving, extended career on the court.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark played in only 13 games last season because of multiple injuries. It was a frustrating campaign for the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
However, those injuries helped Clark and trainer Maria Witte put in long hours to create a new body program for the Iowa product.
"Taking care of my body at this point in the season is probably the most important thing," Clark said on Sunday. Whether that's recovery, whether that's pre-court treatment, whatever it is. I think it's those type of things.
"Very intentional about the things that I'm trying to do. As a young person, you just grab your basketball shoes, and you're like, oh, let's just get up on the court and lace them up and go play. And that wasn't obviously something that was going to help me through the longevity of my career."
Clark averaged 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.5 blocks per game for the Fever last season and shot 36.7% from the floor, 27.9% from 3 and 82.0% from the foul line. She enters this season with career averages of 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
Clark showed the entire basketball world that she's healthy again during the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament. The point guard was named MVP of the tournament after helping Team USA to a 5-0 record while averaging 11.6 points and a team-high 6.4 assists per game.
"Caitlin is Caitlin," Fever forward Aliyah Boston said about Clark. "Yes, she was out with injury, but when we were at USA together, she looked like herself. And I feel like that made me just so happy, because, one, having an injury is hard. And missing a season is hard. But being able to come back, turn the page and be ready to go -- I mean, that's Caitlin."
Fever head coach Stephanie White was with Clark on Team USA well.
"I was really thankful that she had that opportunity," White said. "When you've been training in a rehab kind of scenario, the first opportunity to go in a game is different. I thought her pace was really good. I thought she didn't try to overdo anything. She let the game come to her. ... She did such a great job of finding her spots of understanding time, space, rhythm. All of her timing looked really good. It's hard when you're not playing to simulate that."
With Clark back in the fold, the Fever are championship contenders again.