Caitlin Clark remains sidelined for the Indiana Fever, though the All-Star guard was seen running through drills at the team’s practice in Phoenix ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Mercury.
The Indy Star’s Chloe Peterson shared a video of Clark participating with backups in full-court 5-on-0 work, knocking down a 3-pointer and later setting up a teammate with a pass on the wing. Despite the progress, Clark has not yet been cleared for contact, according to head coach Stephanie White.
Caitlin Clark is running with the Fever backups in their full-court 5-on-0 this morning: pic.twitter.com/2Wfk4WZSDV
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) September 2, 2025
“Caitlin has not done any practices with contact,” White said. “That’s the hope … I think that the long-term viewpoint of her health and wellness is the most important thing.”
Stephanie White Outlines Return Benchmarks
White didn’t frame Clark’s return as a date on the calendar, but as a process with checkpoints the staff needs to see in order. First comes live, competitive exposure in practice settings the Fever can control; then comes demonstrating she can absorb contact and still play end-to-end at game intensity. Finally, the staff wants multiple viewings with no step-backs to confirm she looks the same late as she does early. Only then does a timeline make sense.
“I want to see her in practice, live in practice,” White said. “I want to see her to continue to work to not just build endurance, but to be able to handle contact 94 feet as it’s going to be in game, and to be able to do that and sustain from an endurance standpoint, and that’s going to take multiple practices to make sure that there’s no regression. As most of us know, when we get fatigued, we look different. [We need to see] how she plays through fatigue.”
White also clarified the setting for those checkpoints. Full team practices aren’t mandatory; the Fever can raise the physicality and decision-making demands through small-sided work that mirrors game reads and matchups while letting the staff dial contact up or down as needed.
“Not necessarily team practices, but being able to put together [3-on-3, 4-on-4], and different things we can go against and match up with,” White said.
The hope remains for Clark to play before the regular season ends, but the team is treating that as a byproduct of clearing the above boxes rather than a promise on timing.
Caitlin Clark Reflects on Recovery Journey
For Clark, this has been less about rushing back and more about learning how a pro season reshapes recovery. She described the adjustment as her first real stretch of feeling limited and needing to build a routine that cares for both sides of performance.
“This is the first time I haven’t felt like a young body that can run around and sprint every day and just continue to do that,” Clark told Glamour during WNBA All-Star weekend. “Being a professional athlete, you really have to take care of both your body and your mind—it’s been a journey learning about that.”
Clark has been out since July 15, when she injured her groin in a game against the Connecticut Sun. Indiana (21-19) has four games left in the regular season and currently sits seventh in the WNBA standings as the race for the final playoff spots intensifies.
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