Hall of Famer Candace Parker once played an entire WNBA season on a fractured foot, helping the Las Vegas Aces win back-to-back titles in 2023. She only underwent surgery in July—months after the pain started—and by 2024, she was retired. It was a cautionary tale: a reminder of how even the fiercest athletes sometimes need to stop. But what happens when an athlete knows she needs rest yet is too careful to play and too eager to sit still? That’s the delicate limbo Caitlin Clark now finds herself in—and her body language says it all.
The Fever’s next game against the Mystics will mark the first time Clark missed a regular season contest—college or pro—in her entire career. For the first time in 185 games, she won’t be on the hardwood. Her absence, due to a quad injury sustained against the Atlanta Dream, snapped an incredible streak.
Just a game earlier, Clark had broken her 140-game three-pointer streak, and now she’s grappling with something more frustrating: stillness.
On Instagram, @overtimewbb highlighted this by posting a clip of Clark standing on the court, her hands clasped behind her back like a restless student during recess. The caption summed it up perfectly: “I just know this injury is driving her CRAZY .”
Another clip shared by @justwomenssports showed her casually dribbling between her legs and taking layups—until Damiris Dantas jokingly walked over to stop her, saying something to the effect of, “Sit down and rest.” Clark grinned, but the scene was telling: even in recovery, her instincts are always on the move.
This is new ground not just for Clark, but for Indiana. It’s the first time the team has played without her in a regular-season game since drafting her No. 1 overall. In her absence, head coach Stephanie White has turned to veterans like Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson to become the team’s main hub, as they did in the preseason match against the Washington Mystics during which Colson played 26 minutes, notched 3 assists and 2 steals, while Cunningham led the bench with 21 points and +16 on the floor.
Watching her on the sidelines now, it’s clear to everyone how much she longs to be back in the game—living out what Candace Parker once described during her own injury:
“I love basketball so much, and I’m so passionate about it that it’s hard to sit out and watch other people play it.”
Clark’s challenge now isn’t just healing—it’s learning to wait, to trust her team, and to understand that sometimes the strongest move in the game is knowing when not to play.
While Clark Rests, Bueckers Rises
But while Clark rests on the bench, guess where the spotlight is shifting?
To another electric rookie making waves — Paige Bueckers. And honestly, the parallels between her and Clark’s debut seasons are almost spooky.
Just like Clark, Bueckers started her WNBA journey with a string of losses. Clark finally got her first win in her sixth game after a five-game skid in 2024. Bueckers? She grabbed her first W in Game 5 after four straight losses this season — and guess what? Both had early showdowns against the Connecticut Sun. Clark faced them in Game 4. Bueckers? Game 5. It’s too similar to ignore.
May 19, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks on during the second half against the Seattle Storm at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
And now, with Clark sidelined and the Indiana Fever’s ticket prices taking a 42% plunge, someone needs to keep the league buzzing. Enter Bueckers and the rising Dallas Wings — now the most in-demand team in the WNBA.
According to Vivid Seats, the average ticket price for Wings home games has soared to $321 — a 74% jump from last year. Compare that to the Fever, where, per TickPick data (via USA Today), ticket prices for the four games Clark will miss dropped overnight by 41.6%, from $137 to $80.
Meanwhile, while Clark heals, Bueckers is about to light up the court with four blockbuster matchups in a row — two against her old NCAA rival Angel Reese, one against Skylar Diggins-Smith (the only player to drop 14 assists in a game this season), and one against Kelsey Plum, currently No. 2 in the league in scoring with 25.2 PPG.
And just when you think the WNBA can’t pack in more drama — Cameron Brink is expected to return in June. If she’s back in time to face Paige, we could be looking at the next must-watch rivalry.
Clark may be out for now — but the WNBA? It’s just heating up.
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