US EditionCaitlin Clark Returns to Court After Injury-Filled Season, Making USA Basketball Senior Team Debut
Clark returns to competitive practice after injury as USA Basketball evaluates players for the 2026 World Cup and navigates ongoing WNBA collective bargaining talks.
- Friday at Duke, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark participated in her first organized basketball event since missing all but 13 games of the 2025 season due to soft-tissue injuries, making her senior USA Basketball training-camp debut with coach Kara Lawson and managing director Sue Bird.
- Clark said she's at 100 percent and is focused on conditioning as she works to get her lungs back and knock the rust off, while coaches expect conditioning and rhythm to develop as camp continues at Duke University, Durham, N.C.
- Coaches praised Caitlin Clark, with Kara Lawson calling her `a terrific player, really locked in and focused,` while Clark admitted `Honestly, I was a little nervous, just because I haven't been out here in a while.`
- Clark linked bargaining and playing, saying players `need to play basketball` and will fight for what they deserve while the WNBPA and WNBA extended the CBA through Jan. 9, 2026.
- With 17 players at camp, 11 are age 25 or younger, underscoring a youth-driven evaluation window for the 2026 World Cup as fans and league stakeholders anticipate growth.
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Caitlin Clark returns to court after injury-filled season, making USA Basketball senior team debut
Caitlin Clark had to remind herself to smile, have fun and not be so hard on herself. It’s been five months since the Indiana Fever All-Star last played competitively after missing most of the WNBA season with a variety of injuries.
Caitlin Clark Gets "Cooked" By Paige Bueckers During Heated Trash-Talking Moment
Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark (Photos via Twitter) There’s a youth movement at USA Basketball camp that includes WNBA players Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese. All three are making their debuts with the national team. They’ve been competing against each other in college and the WNBA over the past few years. Reese and Clark have been set as Rivals ever since their National Title contest. Bueckers has been getting comparisons to C…
Three most exciting clips from team USA's first practice
The WNBA community has been starved for more Caitlin Clark since the Indiana Fever phenom missed most of her sophomore season as a professional with various injuries, most notably a groin that kept her out of every game post-All-Star break, including Indiana’s playoff run. Even without Clark, the WNBA experienced a record-breaking season in television viewership and game attendance, priming the league’s talent for a massive pay bump at the concl…
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