One of the biggest stars in the WNBA will not be able to participate in All-Star Weekend.
Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark announced on Thursday that the right groin injury that she suffered in Tuesday’s win over the Connecticut Sun will force her to miss Friday’s WNBA 3-Point Contest and Saturday’s All-Star Game.
According to the WNBA, the Washington Mystics’ Brittney Sykes and Atlanta Dream’s Brionna Jones have been named as injury replacements for Clark and Phoenix Mercury standout Satou Sabally.
This marks the third time Clark has been injured this season. She also missed five games with a strained left groin, and earlier in the year, she missed time with a left leg injury.
Clark said in her announcement that she still plans on attending the All-Star festivities in Indianapolis, as this is the first time that the city is hosting the event in Fever franchise history. The second-year star was named one of the two captains for the All-Star Game, and she said she will assist head coach Sandy Bordello of the New York Liberty in Sunday’s matchup against the team captained by star forward Napheesa Collier and coached by Cheryl Reeve, both of the Minnesota Lynx.
The wear and tear Clark has experienced this season has raised some concerns about her durability. Indiana is 12-11 at the All-Star break amid her frequent absences. Fever head coach Stephanie White spoke about the physicality she’s dealt with since entering the WNBA last year.
“There’s a level of physicality that they’re able to play with against her,” White said after the win over the Sun. “I knew it as an opponent, and I see it as her coach. I’m not exactly sure why, but it just is what it is. We’ve gotta help her learn to adjust and use it against them in certain ways, we’ve gotta find some ways to make it a little bit easier for her. But the level of physicality overall in our league has been at a different level than it’s been for a long time.”
Despite having Clark on the sidelines, WNBA All-Star Weekend is sure to be an exciting showcase of some of the league’s top players.
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