Why Did Caitlin Clark Exit Game Against Phoenix Mercury? Everything We Know

Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark exited the game against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday, June 24, with her team citing an “ongoing” back issue.

The two-time WNBA All-Star, who was selected as the first overall pick during the 2024 WNBA draft by the Fever, had played with her team against the Mercury twice this week. Both outings made headlines, as an altercation during their first game on Monday, June 22, between Clark and Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner resulted in the former’s fifth technical foul of the season, per Just Women’s Sports.

And Clark wasn’t the only athlete to receive a technical foul during that particular game, with six total handed out as a result of the heated moment. Among these were fellow Fever player Sophie Cunningham, who also received her technical foul after she began repeatedly pointing at Bonner. The teams then met up less than 48 hours later for their second matchup, where tensions once again reached a boiling point.

As reported by ESPN, Clark “stumbled onto her side after some contact with defender Lexi Held” toward the end of the second quarter of Wednesday’s game. Following the tumble, Held, Bonner and Alyssa Thomas fell onto the Fever player while trying to get the ball, and “amid the scramble, Thomas appeared to push her fist into Clark’s neck then got up and stepped over the top of Clark.”

The Fever point guard ultimately exited during the third quarter with 5:15 remaining and didn’t return, with her team citing the aforementioned back issue. While the Fever won Monday’s game 86-77, the Mercury took Wednesday’s game 111-109.

As noted above, the injury itself didn’t appear to be sustained during the scuffle, but was instead the result of an “ongoing” issue for Clark. Per USA Today, Fever coach Stephanie White said of the injury, “It’s part of maintaining the body ... when we’re all really young, we don’t learn proper mechanics, and it doesn’t get exposed until something happens. This is going to be an ongoing thing. And not just her. We have multiple players who have gone back—we don’t have the blue tent, but they’re going to go back and get adjusted and make sure that the body’s working.”

It is currently unclear if Clark will return to the court for the Fever’s next game, which is against the Los Angeles Sparks. Meanwhile, the Mercury is set to face off against the Toronto Tempo—both games are slated for this Saturday, June 27.

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