Caitlin Clark's 2025 season is over. Here's why she should take inspiration from Michael Jordan and A'ja Wilson

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark announced that she would would not be returning to play this season.

Published on: Sep 5, 2025, 07:32:36 IST

By Shuvrajit Das Biswas

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Caitlin Clark's 2025 WNBA season is over, and the Indiana Fever star shared the update on social media, after missing matches following a groin injury.

Caitlin Clark is eyeing a return in 2026. (X/@CaitlinClark22)

“I had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season,” Clark said, adding “I spent hours in the gym every day with the singular goal of getting back out there, disappointed isn’t a big enough word to describe how I am feeling.” She then went on to thank those who had her back through uncertainties. “This has been incredibly frustrating, but even in the bad, there is good. The way the fans continued to show up for me, and for the Fever, brought me so much joy and important perspective. I am so proud of how this team has only gotten stronger through adversity this year. Now it’s time to close out the season and claim our spot in the Playoffs,” she concluded her message.

Also Read | Angel Reese suspension row: When will Sky star return after Fever game miss?

With Clark eyeing a 2026 return, here's two basketballers who faced similar struggles, who she could take inspiration from.

Inspiration from Michael Jordan, A'ja Wilson

There is still eight months till the 2026 regular season starts, which means Caitlin has ample time for her groin injury to heal fully. While she's missed the 2025 season, there are players the Fever star could turn to for inspiration when she returns to the court.

Michael Jordan's second NBA season immediately springs to mind. He won the Rookie of the Year, much like Clark last year, and was then limited to 18 games and seven starts in 1985-86 due to a navicular fracture. However, Jordan did return for the playoffs. The next season, he averaged a career-high 37.1 PPG and came in second in MVP voting.

Three-time MVP A'ja Wilson also had injury struggles. She lost a couple of weeks due to an ankle sprain, but won her first MVP trophy in 2020.

It remains to be seen if Clark has new offseason plans, by way of organized competition, given that she'll be going without competitive games for a while.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

Catch all the latest Sports News, scores, and highlights in one place. Stay updated with real-time coverage of your favorite games and athletes along with Lionel Messi latest updates.