Caitlin Clark’s legendary college journey ended in a bittersweet finale. Despite pouring in 30 points in Iowa’s championship loss to South Carolina, her season and career were filled with history-making moments. She led the nation in scoring with 32.0 points and 9.0 assists per game and shattered records with 3,951 points and 1,144 assists, becoming the all-time leading scorer in NCAA history—men’s or women’s. Though she never won a title, her dominance left no doubt. Now, the 23-year-old phenom is part of the Indiana Fever. But before the good cheers you, there’s a pause, and one would surely not like to hear it if you are a CC or neutral fan!

Her transition into the WNBA has been electric. Clark was taken No. 1 overall in the 2024 draft and instantly transformed the league’s visibility. Ticket sales skyrocketed, with home prices jumping 126% and road games nearly doubling in cost. The hype around her debut has been unreal. Fans were circling the weekend’s game against the Washington Mystics on their calendars. This was supposed to be her first real test in a Fever jersey. But hours before tip-off, everything changed.

Before the game, the Indiana Fever took to X (formerly Twitter) and revealed their preseason starting lineup: Sydney Colson, Kelsey Mitchell, Natasha Howard, and DeWanna Bonner. The caption read simply, “Our first five of the preseason.” But fans quickly noticed Clark’s name missing. Soon after, news broke that she would be sitting out. Roughly 90 minutes before tip-off, reporter Scott Agness shared a video of Clark providing a short update. “Just a little tightness,” she said, referring to her leg. “I’ll go through all our warmups and everything — and then they’ll decide if I’m good to go or not.” And it seems that she will indeed not join the game!

Despite going through her usual pregame routine and practicing all week, Clark was ultimately ruled out just before tipoff. The team listed her with a left leg injury, which first appeared on the injury report Friday. Despite a week of practice and her typical pregame routine, the Fever chose caution over risk. Head coach Stephanie White emphasized the importance of considering the long-term health of their star. “We want to make sure we’re extra cautious and put her health and wellness first and foremost,” White said.

Moreover, she added, “Honestly, it’s been one day at a time, how she’s reacting to treatment, how she’s reacting to workouts. Positive progress is being made, but we can’t be shortsighted.” With the WNBA expanding to a 44-game season (its longest ever), protecting the health of their franchise player outweighed the hype of an early debut. The Fever have another game against Brazil’s national team on Sunday in Iowa, but Clark’s eagerly awaited debut will have to wait.

Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub: Uncovering the mystery behind her absence in Paris

Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise in the sports world has been impossible to ignore. From her record-breaking college career at Iowa to her sensational rookie season with the Indiana Fever, Clark has solidified herself as one of the most recognizable names in women’s basketball. Despite earning a slew of accolades, including an All-Star nod and a place on the All-WNBA First Team, one major honor eluded her in 2024—the chance to represent Team USA in the Paris Olympics.

Sports columnist Christine Brennan, author of On Her Game, is shedding some light on the mystery behind Clark’s absence from the 2024 Olympic roster. When Brennan was promoting her book, fans started asking the big question: Why wasn’t Caitlin Clark on the Olympic team? “We want to know what happened with the Olympic snub… I think we agree she was good enough and snubbed.” And she did answer!

Brennan responded with a little mystery of her own, saying, “Well…😉… I will say this member of the media has done her best to get to the bottom of the US Olympic decision on Caitlin Clark — and all of my reporting is in On Her Game.” She teased that her book contains “new, exclusive information on many topics,” which has fans eagerly waiting for the full story.

Despite the snub, Clark’s popularity continues to rise. As one of the most recognizable faces in the WNBA, she’s become a major draw for the league. Thanks to a new 11-year media rights deal, the WNBA is seeing more national television exposure than ever before, with 41 of the Indiana Fever’s 44 regular-season games set to air nationally. Even though she was left out of last year’s Olympics, it’s clear that it’s only a matter of time before Clark makes her international debut with Team USA. The world is waiting to see what she can do next.