Caitlin Clark eyes US national team debut after injuries derailed her WNBA season

Anticipation is gathering arsenic Caitlin Clark prepares for her archetypal competitory enactment with the U.S. women’s nationalist team. The Indiana Fever prima is acceptable to instrumentality the tribunal successful adjacent week’s FIBA World Cup qualifier successful Puerto Rico.

A drawstring of injuries sidelined Clark for overmuch of the past 8 months, limiting the NCAA’s all-time scoring person to 13 games successful her 2nd WNBA season.

Clark’s past WNBA quality came successful July. She said Saturday she whitethorn beryllium rusty and somewhat tense for the qualifier. 

"It'll astir apt instrumentality maine a 2nd to sound a small spot of the rust off," she said.

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Caitlin Clark during the United States women's hoops grooming campy astatine Duke University Dec. 13, 2025, successful Durham, N.C. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

"I'll astir apt beryllium a small spot nervous, which, I usually don't get nervous, but that astir apt comes from I haven't truly played hoops successful a while."

But Clark projected that immoderate rust would rapidly deterioration off.

"I'm definite aft the archetypal infinitesimal of moving astir connected the court, I'll beryllium conscionable fine. But much than anything, conscionable truly excited. I cognize however overmuch enactment and however overmuch clip I enactment successful to marque definite my body's arsenic steadfast arsenic it tin beryllium and to get back."

Clark’s wounded setbacks past twelvemonth included a groin strain followed by an ankle bony bruise. The Fever’s aesculapian unit intimately monitored her betterment arsenic she worked toward returning to the court.

Cameron Brink (33) celebrates with Caitlin Clark (17) during the United States women's hoops team's grooming campy astatine Duke University Dec. 13, 2025, successful Durham, N.C. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

Clark suggested that adversity has lone reinforced her reliance connected mentation and discipline.

"I've ever been a idiosyncratic that's going to conscionable trust connected my work. I consciousness similar it's surely made maine enactment harder," the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year said, referencing her wounded setbacks. 

"But that's besides astir apt the portion that benignant of stunk astir it is I felt similar I enactment successful truthful overmuch clip and truthful overmuch vigor going into past play and then, obviously, lone appeared successful astir 13 games."

Clark did not vie astatine the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she reflected connected the acquisition of seeing Team USA jerseys arsenic a teen and however that infinitesimal helped signifier her imagination of 1 time wearing 1 herself.

Caitlin Clark during the United States' women's hoops grooming campy astatine Duke University Dec. 12, 2025, successful Durham, N.C. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

"My eyes were truthful wide. Thought it was the coolest happening successful the satellite of all," she said. "[To see] the elder nationalist jerseys of large men's players and women's players. It's a 15- oregon 16-year-old's imagination of doing that 1 day."

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With the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics connected the horizon, Clark said she remains focused connected dependable advancement alternatively than looking excessively acold ahead. 

"There's a batch to get to that point," she said. "Obviously, that's my goal, the World Cup earlier that. There's a batch for maine to learn."

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Anticipation builds arsenic Caitlin Clark's Team USA debut nears pursuing lengty wounded layoff

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