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Fever's Clark: '25 injuries pose 'mental challenge...

ESPN · May 23, 2026, 3:03 AM

Key takeaways

  • "I think at the end of the day, it's me and my confidence," Clark told reporters on Friday before posting 22 points and nine assists in a 90-82 win over the visiting Golden State Valkyries.
  • Clark, who missed her first game of the season Wednesday in a win over the Portland Fire, acknowledged that while people expect her confidence to be steady, it can still be up and down.
  • "These are the best players in the world, and if I don't feel 100% confident in my body on game five of the year, I don't know if that's really worth it in that scenario," she said.

Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark said her decision to not play Wednesday due to back soreness was dictated in large part by her level of confidence in her body, particularly as she comes back from a variety of injuries that limited her to 13 games last season.

"I think at the end of the day, it's me and my confidence," Clark told reporters on Friday before posting 22 points and nine assists in a 90-82 win over the visiting Golden State Valkyries. "Coming back from injury and having however many soft tissue injuries [in 2025] is a real mental challenge."

Clark, who missed her first game of the season Wednesday in a win over the Portland Fire, acknowledged that while people expect her confidence to be steady, it can still be up and down.

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