Caitlin Clark is hoping to stay healthy during the 2026 WNBA season after the league’s biggest draw—on and off the court—played in just 13 games last year.
“I’ve never really sat on the sidelines before, so it was a very humbling experience,” Clark said Sunday as the Indiana Fever opened training camp.
Despite Clark’s extended absence, WNBA broadcasts during the 2025 season averaged 969,000 viewers across ESPN networks, Ion, and CBS, which marked a modest 3% increase in viewership compared to 2024, when Clark played in all 40 of the Fever’s games as a rookie. The four most-watched games of the 2025 season all featured Clark, including the audience of 2.7 million viewers who tuned in to the Fever-Chicago Sky season opener.
ESPN executive Susie Piotrkowski told Front Office Sports in March, “I say this in quite literally the most positive way possible: Caitlin’s a gateway drug for some people to women’s sports.”
Clark, entering her third WNBA season, said she has plenty of room to grow. “I’ve only appeared in two playoff games,” she said. “So, I’ve got a ways to go, still.”
The Fever made it to the WNBA semifinals last season, even without Clark. Indiana is among the betting favorites to win the 2026 WNBA Finals, currently with the league’s third-highest odds at most sportsbooks.’
The Fever’s first preseason game is Saturday against the New York Liberty. Indiana’s first regular-season game is May 9 against the Dallas Wings, who have the last two No. 1 picks in the WNBA draft—former UConn stars Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers.
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Clark, 24, initially missed time with a groin injury last season, and then sustained an ankle injury during her rehab. She said she’s trying to be “a little bit smarter” this year.
“Taking care of my body at this point in the season is probably the most important thing,” Clark said. “Whether that’s recovery, whether that’s pre-court treatment, whatever it is.”
Clark’s presence has a major impact not just on the Fever’s performance, but also on the opposing teams’ ticket gates. Indiana remained the league’s biggest attendance draw last year, averaging 15,884 fans for their road games, 4,000 more than any other team.
