Caitlin Clark Set for U.S. National Team Debut After 8-Month Injury Layoff

Caitlin Clark is excited to make her U.S. national team debut next week when the Americans play in the FIBA World Cup qualifier in Puerto Rico. It will be Clark's first game played in about eight months since a multitude of injuries derailed her WNBA season with the Indiana Fever in July 2025. "It’ll probably take me a second to knock a little bit of the rust off," Clark said Saturday. "I’ll probably be a little bit nervous. I usually don’t get nervous, but that probably comes from I haven’t really played basketball in a while. I’m sure after the first minute of running around on the court, I’ll be just fine. "But more than anything, just really excited. I know how much work and how much time I put in to make sure my body’s as healthy as it can be and to get back." It's been quite a road back for Clark, who played in 13 games last season. She had groin injuries and then a bone bruise in her left ankle. She's been in the gym getting ready, working with the Fever medical team and player developmental staff over the last few months. "I’ve always been a person that’s going to just rely on my work," Clark said of the injuries. "I feel like it’s certainly made me work harder, but that’s also probably the part that kind of stunk about it — is I felt like I put in so much time and so much energy going into last season, and then obviously, only appeared in about 13 games." Clark has fond memories of playing with younger USA Basketball teams. She recalled being in Colorado Springs in her teens and going into a room filled with jerseys of past American greats. "My eyes were so wide," she said. "(I) thought it was the coolest thing in the world of all. (To see) the senior national jerseys of great men’s players and women’s players. It's a 15 or 16-year-old's dream of doing that one day." Clark knows this is just her first step with the national team. There was an uproar when she didn't make the 2024 Paris Olympic team. She eyes playing on the World Cup team next fall and then in Los Angeles on the 2028 Olympic squad. "There's a lot to get to that point," she said. "Obviously, that’s my goal, the World Cup before that. There's a lot for me to learn." Reporting by The Associated Press.