Fever coach says Caitlin Clark's All-Star game appearance up in the air as team focuses on 'long-term' health
Fever head coach Stephanie White told reporters in a pregame news conference there has not been any talk about Clark's availability for All-Star weekend, which will be hosted by the Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse beginning Friday.
Clark is due to compete in the 3-point contest Friday and serve as a captain in Saturday's All-Star Game.
"No discussion yet about this weekend," White said. "There was imaging done, and, obviously, we're ruling her out for tonight, but there hasn't been any discussion beyond tonight."
Clark sustained a groin injury late in the fourth quarter of Indiana's win over the Connecticut Sun in Boston Tuesday night. White said she did not believe it was a "reinjury." Clark missed time in May due to a quad injury and was recently sidelined for five games with a left groin strain.
"I'm not really sure that it's a reinjury as much as a different kind of injury. I know oftentimes when you're working with injuries in the groin and the quad and the hamstring and all of those things, there's just — they're all kind of tied together, and it's not always just one thing."
White added that a "slow" approach to getting Clark back on the court has always been the priority for both the success of the team and Clark "long term."
"The big picture is the most important — for her health and wellness, long term and for our team. And we've been very slow in making sure that every time she comes back that she's ready. So, we'll continue to approach it like that. I mean, long term is the most important."
White called the latest update on Clark's injury "day-to-day," adding she sees that as good news.
"You'd have to ask the athletic training staff. I mean, I consider it good news just because, for me, it's anything that we're talking about still day-to-day, is always good news for me. So, but that's the layman's viewpoint."
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