Returning from injury, Clark admits jitters for her USA Basketball senior debut, fueled by time away from the court rather than the stage.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark is no stranger to high-stakes games, with the expectations and pressure that would challenge just about any athlete. She tends to handle it with such poise, without giving any indication of being nervous.
Next week might be the exception.
When Clark takes the court for her first game in over eight months, she admits that she expects to feel it a little. Not only has she experienced a long layoff, but her first game back will mark her senior national team debut, on March 11 against Senegal in FIBA World Cup qualifying in Puerto Rico.
"I'll probably be a little bit nervous, which I usually don't get nervous, but that probably comes from I haven't really played basketball in a while," Clark said. "I'm sure after the first minute of running around on the court, I'll be just fine."
Clark last played on July 15 for the Fever before groin injuries and a bone bruise in her left ankle ended her 2025 season after just 13 games. She came into that season viewed as a viable MVP candidate with championship aspirations. The months since have been focused on working closely with the Fever's staff to get her body back to the level she was at when she earned All-WNBA First-Team honors as a rookie.
"I know how much work and how much time I put in to make sure my body's as healthy as it can be and to get back," she said.
Dealing with injuries throughout the past year has challenged Clark not only physically when trying to power through in-game action or in rehab, but also mentally. The lack of clarity about when she could return, before she was ultimately shut down, was a challenge.
"I've always been a person that's going to just rely on my work," she said. "I feel like it's certainly made me work harder. But that's also probably the part that kind of stunk about it — I felt like I put in so much time and so much energy going into last season, and then obviously only appeared in about 13 games."
Missing the 2024 Paris Olympic roster stung and drew loud public criticism. She's not dwelling on it. The targets now are the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, goals she's carried since she was a teenager who visited USA Basketball's Colorado Springs facility and stood in a room full of jerseys from past American greats.
"It's a 15 or 16-year-old's dream of doing that one day," she said.
Getting there is a different conversation.
"There's a lot to get to that point," she said. "There's a lot for me to learn."
Team USA opens March 11 against Senegal before playing Puerto Rico, Italy, New Zealand and Spain. Late changes brought in Monique Billings and Rae Burrell after Aliyah Boston and Sonia Citron both went down with lower-body injuries during the Unrivaled season.