“I sprint all the time.” Last season, a jubilant Caitlin Clark revealed the secret behind her speed on the floor. Fast forward to the 2025 All-Star Weekend, and she had to accept, “This is the first time I haven’t felt like a young body that can run around and sprint every day.” Over the years, Clark’s conditioning has never failed her. But when she finally missed her first Fever game since her sophomore year in Dowling High due to a left quad strain, it raised everyone’s eyebrows. Since then, missing 18 games total, it’s been a stop-and-go for Clark.

Now, everyone walks on eggshells around her. But in today’s game against the Chicago Sky, assistant coach Karima Christmas-Kelly almost gave everyone an added scare. At 7:37 in the third quarter, Lexie Hull found Kelsey Mitchell for a corner three, but the ball hit the front rim. But Aliyah Boston was under the basket for a quick offensive board. The finisher, however, missed. The play ended with the referee blowing his whistle for an and-1 opportunity for the big, who made 1 of 2 free throws to push Indiana 55-37. However, the struggle was not just in the paint but also on the sidelines.

At the Fever bench, Christmas-Kelly was sitting next to Clark, but got up as the team huddled before the free throw opportunities. It was visible that her attention was undividedly on the five on the floor. She even missed the injured point guard who also stood up to cheer for the team’s non-stop roll. The assistant coach accidentally stepped on Clark’s right foot, resulting in the PG grimacing in pain.

Within seconds, the look on her face turned even more tense as the groin injury pain seemingly returned. The assistant coach helped Clark to the bench and made sure the reigning league ROTY was okay. In return, while the No. 22 did smile at her, the pain was visible on her face. However, seems like it was nothing serious. When the cameras returned to the point guard after a handful of plays, she was smiling at Christmas-Kelly, letting her know it was nothing.

The incident happened in a flash. But the arena, the fans watching at home, and even the commentators held their collective breath until Clark managed a reassuring smile, signaling she was okay. “I think she is going to be alright… but I just don’t want to see any of that,” Jordan Kent, one of the announcers, echoed the concern of thousands. “Not at all,” Isis ‘Ice’ Young immediately agreed. 

While the scare was brief, it served as a stark reminder of Clark’s ongoing battle with a right groin strain. Head coach Stephanie White has been clear that there is no firm timetable for her return, emphasizing the need to get her to 100% before she sees game action again. Of course, they don’t want to see her back on the bench again after returning this time, like they had to previously. Especially, with the season entering a crucial curve and a playoff contention in their hands.

“We’re taking it one day at a time, really slow rolling it, slow playing it this time,” White said recently. Though Clark has progressed to full-speed running, she has yet to fully participate in team practices, leaving her status for the Fever’s crucial playoff push uncertain.

From the sidelines, Clark has had to watch as her team learns to win without her. Against the Sky, though, they didn’t just win, they dominated, once again. In the 92-70 victory, the injury-plagued, true point-guard-less Fever showcased a new identity built on grit and a concentrated attack from their remaining stars. From the opening tip, Natasha Howard set the tone with a layup, but it was the duo of Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell who truly carried the load.

In the first quarter alone, Boston poured in 8 points while Mitchell orchestrated the offense, dishing out 4 assists and hitting key shots to build a 25-16 lead. It was a glimpse of the focused team the Fever can be, or resilient, as White calls it, proving they can hold their own while their superstar learns critical pointers through her basketball IQ that she can later add to the team.

And as the team found its rhythm on the court, Clark found her own way to contribute from the bench, blending support with a bit of playful mischief.

Caitlin Clark leads cheers (and jeers) from the sideline

The dominant victory over the Sky was a statement of resilience for a team that had just lost Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson to season-ending injuries. But a moment late in the fourth quarter revealed even more about the team’s surprisingly high spirits, the dynamic between Clark and her coach, and that despite the injury, Clark has not lost her playful spirit.

With the Fever leading by 20 and just over three minutes left on the clock, the offense was flowing. Forward Damiris Dantas was spotting up for a wide-open three-pointer when Coach White abruptly called a timeout, killing the play. The decision was immediately met with playful jeers from her own bench, led by none other than Clark herself, who jokingly booed the call.

The moment perfectly captured the team’s mood and the unique relationship between its star and coach. With the game well in hand, the booing was a funny take that played on their known history. Clark recently shared on a podcast how White had previously pulled her from a game for being too risky, calling it a “learning moment.” That context makes the sideline jeer even richer—it was a playful rebellion against a coach who is trying to instill discipline, even in the final minutes of a blowout.

Over the games, despite Clark being out for weeks now, it is refreshing and hopeful to see the point guard trying to keep the team lively. Even Kelsey Mitchell, when asked about this very incident in her post-game presser, answered honestly, “Oh, we gotta… we gotta laugh to keep from crying. Losing Syd was big, losing Aari was big, and not having CC is even bigger. So those three not being here, we gotta take every joy that we can.” 

This easy camaraderie showed a group that remains connected and loose under pressure. It was a small, funny interaction that highlighted Clark’s engagement as a leader even while sidelined, and a team that is finding ways to have fun as they fight for their playoff lives.