The Indiana Fever confirmed on Sunday that Caitlin Clark will miss the rest of the season due to a right groin injury. It’s a tough blow for the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, who was limited to just 13 games this season but still averaged 16.5 points and 8.8 assists.
Former NBA player Etan Thomas, writing for The Guardian, shared sympathy for Clark while taking aim at her fan base. Thomas argued that Clark’s supporters often ignore her health and instead use her as a political symbol.
“The mob (Caitlin Clark’s fans) that has turned her into a political totem does not care about her health or her wishes. Clark has asked repeatedly not to be used to promote racism, grievance and white-supremacist narratives,” Thomas wrote.
He added that many of her most toxic followers frame her as “the great white hope” or a victim of jealous Black opponents, rather than simply appreciating her as a basketball player.
“With her sidelined, those narratives lose their fuel,” Thomas continued.
Thomas has long criticized Clark’s fan culture, but his remarks gained more traction this time with the star sidelined for the year.
Fever clinch playoff berth without Caitlin Clark
While losing Caitlin Clark is a major setback, the Fever locked up the seventh seed in the playoffs after winning 23 games this season. That sets up a likely first-round clash with A’Ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces—assuming Las Vegas beats the Chicago Sky in their regular-season finale.
The Aces enter the postseason riding a 14-game winning streak, making them one of the league’s most dangerous teams. For Indiana, advancing past the opening round will depend heavily on veterans Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, and Natasha Howard stepping up in Clark’s absence.
For Clark, the focus now shifts to recovery. And for the Fever, the challenge is proving they can contend without their young star on the floor.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
