Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark exited Wednesday night's game against the Phoenix Mercury early - below is everything you need to know about her injury status going forward.
Clark was ruled out of the game in third quarter with what the team announced is a back injury.
There was a controversial play in the first half of the Indiana Fever's loss last night in which Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas seemed to throw a closed-fist punch into Clark's neck as she was on the ground after slipping on a layup attempt.
Head coach Stephanie White was agitated, but she recognized that the punch might have not directly led to Clark leaving with a back issue.
"I'm not sure if it had any impact on her health or not, but it was egregious," White said after the game. "Egregious and utterly disrespectful."
Stephanie White went off on the officials for not calling what she deemed two "cheap shots" on Caitlin Clark.
— espnW (@espnW) June 25, 2026
Clark exited in the second half because of back issues. pic.twitter.com/gj1Y1GfiOC
Clark had already been dealing with a back issue coming into last night's game as she missed time in May because of the injury.
The 24-year-old said the back issue had been taxing mentally and physically last month saying, "My back feels good...I think there's moments where maybe I get in my head a little bit."
She had been healthy enough to play with no limitations in every game in June, up until last night. White did not provide a timetable for Clark's injury, and the recovery period will become more clear in the coming days as the team tests it.
Clark is enjoying her best and most efficient season from a scoring standpoint, averaging 21.2 points and 8.2 assists per game while shooting a career-best 43.0% from the floor and 34.4% from three on 7.5 attempts per game. She's already played in more games this year (17) than last year (13) after she dealt with multiple injuries in 2025.
Read more WNBA news on site.
