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

Anticipation is building as Caitlin Clark prepares for her first competitive action with the U.S. women’s national team. The Indiana Fever star is set to take the court in next week’s FIBA World Cup qualifier in Puerto Rico.

A string of injuries sidelined Clark for much of the past eight months, limiting the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader to 13 games in her second WNBA season.

Clark’s last WNBA appearance came in July. She said Saturday she may be rusty and slightly nervous for the qualifier. 

"It'll probably take me a second to knock a little bit of the rust off," she said.

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"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."

But Clark projected that any rust would quickly wear off.

"I'm sure after the first minute of running around on the court, I'll be just fine. But more than anything, just really excited. 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."

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Clark’s injury setbacks last year included a groin strain followed by an ankle bone bruise. The Fever’s medical staff closely monitored her recovery as she worked toward returning to the court.

Clark suggested that adversity has only reinforced her reliance on preparation and discipline.

"I've always been a person that's going to just rely on my work. I feel like it's certainly made me work harder," the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year said, referencing her injury setbacks. 

"But that's also probably the part that kind of stunk about it is 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."

Clark did not compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she reflected on the experience of seeing Team USA jerseys as a teenager and how that moment helped shape her dream of one day wearing one herself.

"My eyes were so wide. Thought it was the coolest thing in the world of all," she said. "[To see] the senior national jerseys of great men's players and women's players. It's a 15- or 16-year-old's dream of doing that one day."

With the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, Clark said she remains focused on steady progress rather than looking too far ahead. 

"There's a lot to get to that point," she said. "Obviously, that's my goal, the World Cup before that. There's a lot for me to learn."

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