One of the first things WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert noticed when she stepped into the role was how small the league felt for a country its size. That mindset set the league on an expansion path, one that has only picked up speed since Caitlin Clark’s arrival helped push the W into a new spotlight.

“The first thing when I came in, I said, ‘OK, we have 12 teams in a country of over 300 million people. That is not enough,” Engelbert once said.

This season marked the beginning of that growth, with the Golden State Valkyries joining the league. But expansion came with a cost. Players were suddenly asked to squeeze in four extra games, pushing the schedule from 40 to 44 in an already unforgiving season. And sure enough, injuries began piling up, almost as fast as Caitlin Clark’s ticket prices on game night.

According to analysis shared by Hunter Summers on X, the WNBA regular season saw 210 reported injuries, 53 more than the previous year. That jump represents a 33.7% increase in injuries from last season to this one.

Then, according to The IX Basketball’s injury tracker, the 2025 calendar year has seen a total of 252 injuries, resulting in a combined 967 games missed. So, this article takes a closer look at some of the most significant injuries from the 2025 WNBA season, starting with the league’s most popular player.

Caitlin Clark

After 139 games at Iowa and 44 more with the Fever, Caitlin Clark suffered the first injury of her career. What few realized in that moment, however, was that a quadriceps issue would go on to derail much of her sophomore season, turning what was expected to be another dominant year into a frustrating battle to stay on the floor.

Clark’s season didn’t get off to a smooth start, as she was already dealing with tightness in her left quad. She even sat out a preseason game against the Mystics, a decision the Fever downplayed at the time as simply “a little too much basketball.” But just four games into the season, that concern turned real when she suffered her first injury scare, a left quadriceps issue.

Clark made her return after missing five games, only to be hit with another setback in June when she suffered a left groin injury. That forced her to miss four more games, and just as she was working her way back, the season took another painful turn.

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In the closing seconds of the July 15 game against the Connecticut Sun at TD Garden, Clark suffered a right groin strain that left everyone holding their breath. The Fever initially listed her as “day-to-day,” fueling hope she might still make it to the All-Star festivities. That optimism didn’t last.

CC’s status was soon changed to having no timeline for a return, and what began as a matter of days quietly stretched into weeks of uncertainty. After missing 19 consecutive games, Clark announced that she would not return for the remainder of the season. Caitlin Clark’s sophomore campaign came to an end after just 13 appearances.

Season-ending injuries became an unfortunate theme for the Fever this season, and Clark wasn’t the only player caught up in it.

Aari McDonald

Aari McDonald was brought in under the WNBA’s emergency hardship rule, essentially the league’s way of saying, “Okay, you’re down bad, here’s a lifeline.” With Caitlin Clark sidelined, the Fever needed someone who could handle the ball, bring defensive intensity, and keep the offense moving. McDonald checked every box, quickly, becoming an instant fan favorite and a key piece for the team.

McDonald went on to start 13 of her 20 games with Indiana, averaging 9.8 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest, and was signed through the end of the season after the Fever parted ways with DeWanna Bonner. But the good times didn’t stick around for Indiana this season.

In the August 7 game against the Phoenix Mercury, not only did the Fever suffer a 95–60 loss, but they also lost two guards for the rest of the season. Colson went down with a torn left ACL in the first quarter, and the night turned even crueler in the fourth when Aari McDonald broke a bone in her right foot, turning an already painful loss into a devastating one for Indiana.

But the pain was far from over.

Sophie Cunningham

Sophie Cunningham quickly became the heartbeat of the Fever after arriving from the Mercury this offseason. Her willingness to stand up for her teammates, especially Caitlin Clark, struck a chord with fans almost immediately. Everyone remembers her fiery altercation with former Sun guard Jacy Sheldon, an incident that ultimately led to her ejection.

The Sun–Fever rivalry quickly became one of the most talked-about storylines of the season, but it was during their fourth and final regular-season meeting that things took a heartbreaking turn. Early in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, with just under eight minutes remaining, disaster struck.

As Bria Hartley attempted to make a pass, she fell awkwardly into Sophie Cunningham’s right knee. Cunningham immediately went down in visible pain and was eventually helped off the floor by the training staff, leaving the court in tears.

She was diagnosed with a torn MCL in her right knee, becoming the fourth Fever guard to suffer a season-ending injury before the playoffs even began.

But the Fever weren’t the only team battling injury issues this season, as the 2024 champions found themselves in the same boat.

Jonquel Jones

The Liberty opened the season with nine straight wins, carrying the same swagger that powered their title run a year ago. Just when it felt like history might repeat itself, injuries began to derail that momentum, starting with Jonquel Jones.

Injuries made this season quite frustrating for Jonquel Jones. It started on June 5, when she sprained her right ankle in the Liberty’s 86–78 win over the Washington Mystics. Just when it seemed manageable, the injury flared up again during an 89-81 loss to the Mercury on June 19. The setback proved costly, sidelining Jones for more than a month and forcing her to miss 13 regular-season games.

The constant injury struggles took a visible toll on her form, and when the moment demanded the most, it only got worse. In the Liberty’s season-ending Game 3 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, Jones was held to just three points, along with eight rebounds and four assists. The loss not only brought New York’s season to a close but also marked the end of Sandy Brondello’s tenure as head coach.

She recently announced that she underwent surgery to address the issue, and the hope now is to see a much stronger bounce-back season from the 2024 Finals MVP next year.

Breanna Stewart

It wasn’t an easy season for Breanna Stewart either. She entered the year coming off a minor arthroscopic procedure on her right meniscus and also logged extra minutes in the Unrivaled league. With the WNBA schedule expanding, the wear and tear began to show, as Stewart was sidelined for 13 games due to a bone bruise.

In the playoffs, Stewart battled an MCL strain throughout the series against the Mercury and still chose to suit up, a clear reflection of her dedication. But even playing through the pain wasn’t enough to help the Liberty defend their title.

Sabrina Ionescu

As if it were written in fate, all three members of the Liberty’s Big Three spent significant time on the injury list. Sabrina Ionescu, the former Oregon guard and one of the greatest shooters the league has ever seen, missed six games with a toe injury. She did return before the playoffs, but the timing worked against her. Ionescu never quite found her rhythm, and without her at full strength, the Liberty simply couldn’t get past the Mercury.

Napheesa Collier

Napheesa Collier was in the middle of the season of her life and leading the MVP race by a wide margin when she got injured in the third quarter of the Lynx’s August 2 game against the Las Vegas Aces. Imaging later confirmed she avoided a major injury, but the ankle sprain still forced her to miss three weeks and seven games.

Collier, who ended up missing 11 regular-season games in total, had one clear goal this season: winning a championship. The Lynx played like a team on a mission, finishing the regular season as the best in the league. But that dream came to a sudden halt when Collier collided with Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas in the final seconds of a heated Game 3 of the semifinals, an incident that ultimately curtailed both her season and the Lynx’s title hopes.

Collier later confirmed that she suffered a Grade 2 tear in her ankle and shin muscles, though fortunately, the injury did not require surgery.

Kayla Thornton

Kayla Thornton was making history every time she took the floor for the Golden State Valkyries. Fresh off a championship run with the Liberty in 2024, Thornton finally delivered the breakout season many had long believed was coming.

She led the team in points at 14.0 per game, rebounds at 7.0, and steals at 1.3, and became the first Valkyrie ever to earn an All-Star selection. Thornton was named a reserve for Team Clark in this year’s All-Star Game and made the most of her minutes, scoring 15 points in just 20 minutes.

But just one week after the All-Star break, disaster struck in the Bay Area. Thornton injured her right knee during practice, and it was later confirmed to be an ACL tear. The injury abruptly ended what had been the best season of her career, but her contributions had already done enough to help the Valkyries secure a playoff spot.

Angel Reese

It wasn’t just Caitlin Clark who battled injuries this season. Her so-called “arch rival,” Angel Reese, had her own tough run as well. Reese appeared in just 30 games, dealing with leg issues and a recurring back problem, while also missing time due to discipline, including a half-game suspension and a separate league-mandated one-game suspension for accumulating technical fouls.

But the injury list didn’t end there, with several other major names also going down.

Other key WNBA injuries

Georgia Amoore: The Kentucky guard had just powered the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2021–22 season, averaging 19.6 points and 6.9 assists while logging nearly 37 minutes per game. That breakout run carried plenty of buzz into the WNBA, where the Mystics selected her with the seventh pick in the draft. But the excitement was short-lived. Less than a week into training camp, Amoore suffered an ACL injury, abruptly ending her rookie season before it could even begin.

Kelsey Mitchell: Most expected Caitlin Clark to be firmly in the MVP conversation this season, but it was her backcourt partner, Kelsey Mitchell, who ultimately emerged as a finalist, thanks to her standout performances. Carrying the Fever through adversity and dragging them to within one win of a Finals berth, however, came at a cost.

Following the overtime loss to the Aces in Game 5, Mitchell revealed that she had been battling a medical condition called rhabdomyolysis, which prevented her muscles from functioning properly. The condition left her unable to move her legs during the game, forcing her to exit in the third quarter before being taken to the hospital.

Courtney Vandersloot: Widely regarded as the queen of playmaking in the WNBA, she was seen as a prized addition for the Chicago Sky as they pushed toward a playoff spot. Unfortunately, the five-time All-Star’s season came to a premature end after she suffered a season-ending injury in Chicago’s 79–52 loss to Indiana on June 7.

DiJonai Carrington: For someone who had already undergone six knee surgeries by the age of 25, the 2025 season followed a familiar pattern. The 2024 Most Improved Player, Carrington, managed to appear in 31 games, with rib and shoulder injuries forcing her to miss the remaining 13.

Heading into the playoffs, the Lynx were hopeful Carrington would be fit, knowing how badly they needed her perimeter defense. But those hopes were dashed late in Game 2 of the first-round series against the Golden State Valkyries, when DiJonai injured her foot. Tests later revealed a “significant mid-foot sprain,” ruling her out for the remainder of the postseason. It has since been confirmed that the same injury will also force her to miss Season 2 of Unrivaled.