The Indiana Fever made the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons. It all started less than two hours before their game against the Portland Fire on Wednesday, when fans suddenly learned that Caitlin Clark would not be playing. That unexpected scratch immediately created confusion among fans, and head coach Stephanie White only added fuel to the fire with her pregame media availability. But the WNBA has finally responded to the situation.

According to the latest updates, the Fever franchise has received a warning from the league regarding how they handled Clark’s injury reporting. However, they did not fine Indiana.

The issue centered around the timeline of the events. Earlier on that day, the Fever did not list Clark on their initial injury report. But just over an hour before tip-off, the team ruled her out with back stiffness, which completely changed the tone of what many expected to be a routine matchup for Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

WNBA rules require teams to release injury reports by 5 p.m. local time the day before their games. Although teams can continue to make updates closer to tip-off, they usually do so when players are listed as questionable, doubtful, or out, depending on their condition.

Now, Coach White claimed that they expected Clark to play. “Not everybody that doesn’t practice or gets a pro day is on the injury report; that happens all the time. She wasn’t listed on the injury report earlier because we expected her to play,” she said.

But the issue stems from the fact that the coach, in her pregame interview, revealed that a day before the game, Caitlin Clark did not participate in the team practice as well and received treatment. So why wasn’t she listed as questionable or doubtful if the team knew she was having issues?

Clark’s back has already drawn attention since the regular since kicked-off. During Indiana’s opener, cameras repeatedly caught her heading into the tunnel for back adjustments. So after an injury-riddled 2025 campaign that limited her to just 13 appearances, any physical issue involving the Fever superstar is naturally going to spark major reactions.

But the WNBA has officially closed the book on the controversy with a warning. So the focus has naturally shifted back to the bigger question – when exactly will Clark return to the court?

Fever has an encouraging Caitlin Clark Update Ahead of Valkyries Clash

To give the credit where it’s due, the Fever still ended up winning their game against the Fire even without their lead scorer. They leaned heavily on their experienced core against Portland, and they delivered, thanks to Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, who combined for 45 points in the Fever’s dominant 90-73 win.

But now, as they gear up to lock horns with the Golden State Valkyries on 22nd May, the Indiana Fever has finally delivered an update that should ease at least some of the panic among fans.

Ahead of the matchup, Indiana officially listed Clark as probable, signaling that the team expects her to return to the court. However, that doesn’t mean she is completely safe.

Caitlin Clark admitted that her back “gets out of line pretty quickly,” and fans already know she has been bothered by it since the start of the season, when she was also seen using a heating pad around her back.

So, unless the Fever franchise wants this to turn into something serious that could sideline her from the entire season, like the last time, they will need to keep extra attention on the 24-year-old.

Now, all eyes will be on Friday night to see whether Caitlin Clark officially returns to the lineup or not.