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Caitlin Clark Draws Attention After USA Basketball Announcement
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- Caitlin Clark Draws Attention After USA Basketball Announcement
Caitlin Clark missed a majority of her second WNBA season with the Indiana Fever after dealing with numerous injuries throughout the year, most recently to her ankle and groin. But Clark was still able to make her second All-Star appearance after averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists through 13 games.
In 2024, Clark's rookie season, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star was named to the All-WNBA first team. However, she was not selected to play for the USA women's national team during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Still, without Clark, Team USA won its eighth consecutive gold medal. But Clark still plans to suit up for her country, potentially in the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Germany.
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What's Next for Caitlin Clark?
"I'll probably take a little bit of a break here just for maybe a week," Clark said in the Fever's exit interviews . "I don't really want to lose the stuff I've worked on, and just trying to get my body back to full health. There's some USA Basketball stuff I need to get ready for. And, you know, I need to be able to find some runs and some ways to play five-on-five just so I can kind of get that feel back."
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark walks to the bench before the game against the Golden State Valkyries© Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
With the 2026 FIBA World Cup less than a year away, teams are preparing for the upcoming qualifying tournament in March. Although the U.S. team has already secured its spot in the World Cup, it still plans to compete. On Tuesday, FIBA held its World Cup qualifying draw , and the Americans were placed in the Puerto Rico group, where they will face New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Italy and Spain.
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"✈️ San Juan 🇵🇷," USA Basketball wrote on X. "The 🇺🇸 #USABWNT is drawn to Puerto Rico for the #FIBAWWC Qualifying Tournament March 11-17, 2026!"
WNBA fans took notice of the USA Basketball draw, sharing their excitement over the possibility of seeing Clark back on the court as soon as March.
"CAITLIN HOOPS IN MARCH YESSS," one fan said .
"We hopefully get to watch CC basketball in March 😭 😭 😭," added a second.
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"Y'all think Caitlin is making the team?" asked a third.
"I was looking forward to see CC in March 😢 Well, congratulations to Puerto Rico 😜," wrote a fourth.
"CC hoops in March unless they want to start another discourse," added another.
"Caity gonna play basketball again only in March? Lmao, okay then," posted a sixth.
The U.S. women's national basketball team also made a big change ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. After Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve led them to Olympic gold, she stepped down, and Duke Blue Devils coach Kara Lawson replaced her.
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Related: Former Indiana Fever Star's Caitlin Clark Decision Catches Attention
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
