Caitlin Clark Explains Why She Has Butterflies Ahead of National Team Debut

After a long hiatus, Caitlin Clark makes her return to competitive basketball this week. She won’t be wearing a Fever jersey, however, a couple months away from the WNBA season as the league and its player’s association continue heated negotiations on a stalled new collective bargaining agreement.

Clark will make her debut for the U.S. national team when Team USA takes the floor for the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It’s been eight long months since her last WNBA game as she dealt with quad and groin injuries that cut her second professional season short.

Before the surprising Fever made a playoff run and gave the eventual champion Aces all they could handle in the WNBA semifinals, Clark announced that she would not be able to return to help the playoff push. It was a disappointing end to year two, but Clark is ready to get back on the floor despite the unknown of the heated WNBA CBA talks.

She spoke to reporters ahead of her return to the floor Wednesday in Team USA’s first game in the qualifiers against Senegal. It’s a big day, both her debut for the U.S. senior national team and her first game action since July, admitting she has some “butterflies” heading into the World Cup qualifiers.

“I haven’t played basketball in eight months,” Clark said via ESPN’s Kendra Andrews. “So getting to do it at this level for my first time back, there’s no better way to get tossed into the fire … I know the day of the day of the game I’m going to be hyped up. Probably a little anxious, but in a good way.”

In addition to Senegal, Team USA led by Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers will take on New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Italy and Spain in the span of a week where the top-four teams will qualify for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in September. Reese and Bueckers have already played over the WNBA offseason in Unrivaled.

Has Caitlin Clark played for Team USA before?

Clark was controversially left off the Team USA roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Ahead of the Olympics, she was the only college player to receive an invitation to the final training camp, which she was unable to attend as it conflicted with the 2024 NCAA tournament, her last with Iowa. She has played for Team USA at the junior level, winning the FIBA U19 World Cup MVP in 2021. The upcoming FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament is Clark’s first appearance with the senior national team.

What injuries ended Caitlin Clark’s 2025 WNBA season prematurely?

Clark dealt with injuries for the majority of the past WNBA season. She missed the Fever’s preseason opener with left leg soreness and she injured her left quad early in the regular season. After a five-game absence with the quad injury, she played in five games before injuring her left groin that kept her out for two weeks. She injured her other groin on July 15 a few games after returning, which ended up as her last game of the season. Clark and the Fever hoped she could return toward the end of the regular season to help Indiana secure one of the final playoff spots, but the franchise had to continue without its superstar guard.

In Clark’s second WNBA season, she played 13 games and averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. She was named an All-Star for the second time in as many tries, but she wasn’t able to participate in All-Star festivities in Indianapolis due to the injuries.

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