![\"Indiana](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/caitlin-clark.jpg\" "\\"Caitlin")
Caitlin Clark. Image via: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez\/ AP The Indiana Fever are playoff-bound, but they\u2019ll be finishing the season without their brightest star. Caitlin Clark confirmed last week that lingering groin and leg injuries will sideline her for the rest of 2025. The news hit fans hard as it was devastating for WNBA fandom in general, but it also drew a powerful response from one of the WNBA\u2019s most respected voices, Candace Parker.<\/p>\n
Candace Parker praises Caitlin Clark\u2019s decision to prioritize long-term health<\/p>\n
Caitlin Clark announced her decision on social media, writing, \u201cI had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season. I spent hours in the gym every day with the singular goal of getting back out there, disappointed isn\u2019t a big enough word to describe how I am feeling.\u201d She added that the unwavering support from fans kept her spirits high and expressed pride in the Fever for battling through adversity.Candace Parker, who co-hosts Post Moves alongside Fever star Aliyah Boston, spoke candidly about Clark\u2019s situation. The former MVP drew from her own history of injuries, \u201cBig picture, from the outside looking in, I have been a player that has had a number of injuries. And I think later in my career, especially, some of those injuries would have been less or preventable if I had listened to my body earlier, and taken the time.\u201dParker acknowledged the unique pressure Clark faces as a centerpiece player. \u201cWhen you are Caitlin Clark, and you have the ball in your hands, and you are in the other team\u2019s scouting report, to come in half and not be able to be in that shape and the rhythm of the game.\u201dUltimately, Parker applauded Clark\u2019s choice to sit out. \u201cBecause the rhythm of the game changes towards the end of the year. So when it started getting closer to the end of the season I was like, it\u2019s dangerous to come back during playoff basketball. \u2026 It\u2019s the smart thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caitlin Clark\u2019s absence reflects broader WNBA challenges<\/p>\n
Clark\u2019s injury is part of a wider trend affecting the league. The Fever have five players sidelined for the year, including Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, and Chloe Bibby. Across the WNBA, more than a dozen players are dealing with season-ending injuries, sparking renewed conversations about roster sizes, scheduling, and player workload.Parker closed her message with heartfelt encouragement: \u201cCaitlin Clark: Hope you feel better, you have a great offseason, and you come back.\u201d Of course, Clark\u2019s long-term health matters more than rushing into the playoffs, but again, her absence will also have an impact on ticket sales and overall viewership.Also Read: \u201cI really need to have that\u2026\u201d \u2013 Stephen Curry\u2019s mom Sonya Curry revealed one thing she can\u2019t live without<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Caitlin Clark. Image via: Godofredo A. V\u00e1squez\/ AP The Indiana Fever are playoff-bound, but they\u2019ll be finishing the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135617,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,735,73769,73773,48,73770,73774,2803,73771,82,630,73772],"class_list":["post-135616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-ca","tag-caitlin-clark","tag-caitlin-clark-injury-update","tag-caitlin-clark-long-term-health","tag-canada","tag-candace-parker-support","tag-craig-parker","tag-indiana-fever","tag-indiana-fever-playoff-news","tag-sports","tag-wnba","tag-wnba-player-injuries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}