After an injury-riddled second season in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark is once again prioritizing rest. The Indiana Fever star will reportedly not take part in Unrivaled during its second season, per Front Office Sports.
The league announced nearly all of the final members taking part in season two Wednesday, and Clark wasn’t among those names. Given her status, Clark was expected to be unveiled on the final day of roster announcements if she was taking part in Unrivaled. That announcement never came.
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Unrivaled added Wednesday that there are two more players that are still in negotiation to join the league in its second season, with some speculation that Clark would be one of those players. As of Thursday, those two players have yet to be named; however, Unrivaled did announce that it will be playing two games in Philadelphia in its first road trip.
The three-on-three league has reportedly been pursuing Clark since last year, offering the then-rookie a seven-figure deal with an equity stake, but Clark turned it down. That pursuit continued this season, with Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell saying in September that the league wanted Clark to participate but that they wouldn’t “pressure” her.
Clark’s decision to skip out on Unrivaled makes sense. The 23-year-old was limited to just 13 games during her second season in the WNBA due to various injuries. Coming off that up-and-down second year, Clark likely wants to prioritize rest and recovery in the offseason.
It’s the same strategy Clark used to skip out on the first season of Unrivaled. During her rookie season, Clark prioritized rest. She essentially went straight from Iowa to the WNBA, with little time to rest in between those seasons. When Clark could find time off, she took it. Clark did not participate in the WNBA’s 3-point competition as a rookie for that reason. When asked why she wasn’t going to take part in the event, Clark responded, “I just think rest. I’ve been playing basketball for a year straight.”
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If Clark was tired as a rookie, it didn’t show in her stats. Clark averaged 19.2 points and 8.4 assists during her rookie season. In addition to being named the WNBA Rookie of the Year, Clark also made the All-WNBA first team.
But spending that much time on the court took a toll on her body. When it came time to join an offseason league, Clark declined to participate in the first season of Unrivaled so she could take a break.
She’ll lean on the same strategy this time around. While it was probably the smart decision considering her injuries, Clark would have had plenty of time to recover before Unrivaled gets underway. The league’s second season will tip off Jan. 5.
Clark won’t be involved, but Unrivaled will boast plenty of other WNBA stars in its second season, including Paige Bueckers, Cameron Brink and Napheesa Collier.