Caitlin Clark Update: The News Is Mixed

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What to Know About Women’s Basketball Today

1. Clark Injury Update: No New Damage, But Still Out ❤️‍🩹

Good news and bad news out of Indiana. The Fever announced Thursday that Caitlin Clark recently underwent additional medical evaluations and no new damage was found in her groin injury. But—there’s still no timeline for her return.

👉 Read the team’s full update

WHY IT MATTERS: It’s been a rare year for Clark. After playing every single game in her rookie and college seasons, she’s now missed 13 games this year—and counting.

For a team building around her as a playmaker (8.8 APG) and scorer (16.5 PPG), the Fever may need to rethink their offensive approach if she remains sidelined longer.

2. Expansion Fans Are Showing Up 🎟️

Portland and Cleveland fans are ready. Both new expansion teams reported exciting updates to their season ticket deposits numbers:

• Portland Fire passed 12,500 season ticket deposits ahead of their 2026 debut.

• Cleveland has already hit deposits, just 24 days since the team was announced.

WHY IT MATTERS: This early surge is a great sign for the league’s growth. For context: by this point last year, the Golden State Valkyries had just hit 15,000 deposits—and Portland’s metro population is a third of the Bay Area’s.

In Cleveland, only 9% of deposits come from current Cavs season-ticket holders. That’s close to Golden State, where just 5% of Valkyries season-ticket members also have Warriors seats. Translation: the W has its own strong fan base.

3. Don’t Sleep on the Sparks 👀

Things are trending up in LA. The Sparks have already passed their total win count from last year and star forward Cameron Brink was upgraded this week from “out” to “questionable.” Brink has been sidelined since last June when she tore her ACL. (Sports Illustrated)

WHY IT MATTERS: The Sparks finished dead last in 2024 at 8-32. Since then, they’ve added 4x All-Star Kelsey Plum to the backcourt and hired Lynne Roberts as head coach. The changes seem to be paying off. The Sparks have climbed to 10th place with a 10-14 record. If Brink (6’4”) makes a healthy return from her ACL injury soon, LA could make a real playoff push.