Caitlin Clark injury history: Complete timeline of missed games, from quad strain to groin issue

There is no doubt Caitlin Clark has impacted the entire sport of women's basketball between her college and WNBA success, but the Indiana Fever are still hoping the best is yet to come.

After a promising rookie season that saw Clark continually improve, the former Iowa star was hampered by injuries in 2025 and missed 31 of 44 games. Considering the Fever still reached the doorstep of the WNBA Finals without Clark and other injured pieces, the ceiling appears to be limitless in Indiana — if Clark can stay on the court.

After a nearly pristine record of health at the college level, the hope is Clark's injury-riddled 2025 campaign was just an aberration.

Here's a complete look at Clark's injury history and timeline.

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Caitlin Clark injury history

November 2022: Ankle scare

Clark never missed a game during her time at Iowa, but her closest call came early in her junior season when she injured her ankle late in a loss to Kansas State. Fortunately, Clark was able to avoid a serious sprain and was able to play in the Hawkeyes' next contest.

May 2025: Quad strain

After playing every game in her rookie season, Clark suffered a strained squad four games into the 2025 campaign and was ruled out for multiple weeks. Clark would return three weeks later, but she missed only five games with the Fever getting some extended breaks on their schedule. 

June 2025: Left groin injury

Clark was hoping to settle back in and make a playoff push with the quad injury behind her, but she injured her groin in her fifth game back on June 24. Her outlook after the groin injury wasn't believed to be any worse than it was after the quad strain, and she only wound up missing four games before returning on July 9.

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July 2025: Right groin injury

The injuries persisted for Clark, as she suffered a right groin injury in her fourth game back from the left groin issue. Despite the Fever initially downplaying the injury and listing her as day-to-day, she never returned. Clark missed the remainder of the season, finally announcing in early September that she would not return.

I had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season. 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. I want to thank everyone who had my back… pic.twitter.com/paD5sEYG1q

The Fever announced after Clark's second groin injury that she underwent a more comprehensive medical evaluation to take a closer look at why she suffered so many soft tissue injuries, but no further issues were found.

Heading into 2026 and beyond, Indiana's hope is that Clark's run of injuries in 2025 was simply bad luck or the result of overcompensating after the initial problem.