Caitlin Clark Responds to Emotional Fan Comment as Fever Star’s Return Awaited vs NY Liberty

The phone was already recording when the mom turned casually toward her daughter and said, “So we’re going on vacation to Las Vegas… and we are gonna go see Caitlin Clark at the Indiana Fever against the Aces.” There was a brief pause — then pure shock crossed the little girl’s face. “No way!” she exclaimed, disbelief battling against pure happiness. She took a few shaky steps backward, hands darting up toward her mouth in a mixture of awe and nervous excitement. “Way,” said the dad, smiling quietly in the background, adding, “We already have the tickets.”

The disbelief quickly turned into pure happiness. “Really?” she asked again in a high-pitched voice, almost a screech, trying to make sure it was true. The tears fell immediately after; her hands remained pressed against her face in shock. “Thank you… thank you… thank you.” Between shaky breaths and a rush of emotions, she fell back into the sofa alongside her mom, wiping away tears with the back of her hand. Her dad kept talking — “I gotta get a Fever shirt”, and through her tears, she nodded, adding quietly, “I have my jersey already.”

She cried and cried, letting the happiness rush through her. “When are we going?” she asked in a small voice once she’d gotten her breath back. “We get there on Friday; we go to the game Sunday.”  The video, a pure snapshot of a young fan’s happiness, was first posted on X by her mom and later reposted with the caption: “My daughter is sooo excited to see you play in Las Vegas! Praying a Hail Mary for your speedy recovery and hoping you’ll be able to play by then! ❤️‍🩹 #caitlinclark #indianafever.” Caitlin Clark herself noticed it and hopped into the comments to respond.

“Check your DMs.” was all Clark said. But that’s who she is. Injured or not, Clark makes time. After an 83-77 loss to the Mystics on May 29—where she didn’t even play due to a quad injury, she still walked the full length of the court, signing for kids. 12 straight minutes. No cameras needed. Just Caitlin being Caitlin.

That’s because, in Indiana, she’s more than a player—she’s the childhood hero. Fever fans wait for her like she’s the main event of their growing-up years. One mom even made a how-to guide for kids hoping to get her autograph. That’s how much she means to them. That’s the kind of star she is. But why does the Des Moines native do it?

She said it best during the LPGA Women’s Leadership Summit last November:
“The young girls that are at our games screaming and having the time of their lives… you go up to them and they start crying. It’s cute, but also—I was just in their shoes. However, many years ago, I was begging my dad or my mom to take me to whatever sporting event it was. And I was screaming that I wanted to meet the players… because it was so impactful. I wanted to be who they were.”

“That’s the reason that you play. It’s not because of the wins or the points you score. It’s the amount of joy that you can bring people.”

Top Comment by Rpw

For the ones who didn’t see the importance a few minutes make. Turns a casual fan to a lifetime fan

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Caitlin Clark knows exactly what it feels like to be that kid. And that’s why she’ll never disappoint the ones who believe in her.

Caitlin Clark’s message to a young fan hints at imminent return from injury

And that’s why one thing is for sure—Caitlin Clark is going to return from her quad injury soon.

On June 9, according to a post by Chloe Peterson on X, both Clark and Sophie Cunningham were seen participating in the portion of Indiana Fever practice open to the media. That was the first encouraging sign.

Then, on June 13, Fever head coach Stephanie White provided a further update: “Yeah, I mean, we limited their reps, but really tried to see, get ’em up and down the floor a little bit. Start and try to get into game rhythm, you know, game speed, game pace. You know, timing a little bit off, rhythm a little bit off, but continue to try to work ’em in as much as we could.”

Clearly, Clark is not far from being game-ready. Her reps are limited, yes—but she’s running, moving, easing back into rhythm. The Fever may choose to rest her one more time on June 15 against the New York Liberty. But with each passing day, the signs point toward her return.

In fact, all roads now lead to June 23—when Indiana takes on the Las Vegas Aces and A’ja Wilson. Even if Clark misses the Connecticut game after that, her heartfelt DM to a young fan’s mom almost confirms it: Clark intends to suit up in Vegas.

Injury or not, the heartbeat of Indiana’s season is on her way back. One way or another, Caitlin Clark is stepping onto that floor by June 23.