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Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark has been ruled out for her team’s August 29 road game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
This marks the 17th straight game Clark has missed to this point in the season. And while the initial belief after she suffered a groin injury on July 17 was that she’d probably be back at some point in August, her being out on Friday only gives her one more chance to return this month, when Indiana plays the Golden State Valkyries on August 31.
However, given that it doesn’t seem she is back to practicing at full capacity, there’s a very small chance that she’s going to play the Valkyries, either.
Therefore, the question not only becomes whether Clark will return to the court in September, but whether she’s going to play for the Fever again this season at all.
ESPN Pushes Back Caitlin Clark’s Estimated Return Date Once Again
ESPN’s website has a feature where they’ll list the injury report during the preview for each upcoming WNBA game. This injury report includes each injured player’s name, their status for that specific game, and their estimated return date.
For the Fever’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday, Clark is already listed as out while her estimated return date is September 7.
This is going to be frustrating for some, given that ESPN has continued to delay Clark’s return timeline through this feature. It was initially August 12, then became the Fever’s August 26 game against the Seattle Storm, then was pushed back once again to September 2, when the Fever face the Phoenix Mercury on the road.
It’s worth noting that if Clark does return on September 7, that will have meant she would have missed the Fever’s final game against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, which is taking place on September 5.
Given that the Fever and Sky are arguably the league’s biggest rivalry at this point (which is owed in large part to the history between Clark and Reese), No. 22 missing this game would be disappointing for fans, especially because Clark has missed every game against Chicago aside from the season opener on May 17.
Ultimately, though, the most important aspect for Fever fans is that their team makes it to the playoffs, which will give Clark added time and a major incentive to make her return this season. And while the Fever are already in a good position to make the playoffs, a win against Los Angeles on Friday would further cement matters.
