The Indiana Fever will be without their biggest offensive weapon Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Fever star Caitlin Clark has been ruled out due to an injury she received in a game against the Phoenix Mercury.
While many believe the injury stemmed from an incident in which Mercury guard Alyssa Thomas appeared to punch Clark in the throat, she actually exited the game nearly a quarter later after landing awkwardly while being fouled by Valeriane Ayayi.
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Clark left the game with a back injury immediately after and it is believed that’s the same reason she will be missing the game against the Sparks over the weekend.
Fever head coach Stephanie White confirmed Clark would be out for Saturday’s game, and added that there’s “no indication” on how long she will be out and didn’t give a timetable for her return.
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With regard to the throat punch, Thomas was not called for a foul for the incident during the game, but she was subsequently suspended for one game by the WNBA for her conduct.
These incidents come on the heels of Clark being left off the WNBA’s 30th anniversary poster that was made for their official X account.
Between the poster snafu, the throat punch, and the Ayayi foul, many are accusing the league, including officials, coaches, and even players of failing to protect – much less promote – their biggest asset, as Clark has been both a superstar and a lightning rod from the first time she stepped onto a WNBA court.
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Clark has been on the receiving end of many hard fouls during her short tenure in the league, many of which have seemed intentional.
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From an on-court perspective, it’s unfortunate to see Clark having to miss even a small stretch of games given how well she has been playing recently.
In the past six games, Clark has led the WNBA in both total points and assists, and is averaging nearly 26 points per game over that stretch.
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Hopefully the WNBA can get a handle on why their biggest star arguably since the league’s inception keeps getting treated like a disposable bench player.
Meanwhile, let’s all wish Clark a speedy recovery back from her injury.