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Anticipation builds as Caitlin Clark prepares for her first competitive action with the United States women’s national team. The Indiana Fever star is ready to take the court in next week’s FIBA World Cup qualifying match in Puerto Rico.
A series of injuries sidelined Clark for much of the last eight months, limiting the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader to 13 games in her second season in the WNBA.
Clark’s last WNBA appearance was in July. She said Saturday that she might be rusty and a little nervous about the qualifying match.
“It’ll probably take me a second to get some of the rust off,” he said.
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Caitlin Clark during USA women’s basketball training camp at Duke University on December 13, 2025, in Durham, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
“I’ll probably be a little nervous, which I normally don’t get nervous, but that’s probably because I haven’t played basketball in a long time.”
But Clark projected that any rust would disappear quickly.
“I’m sure after the first minute of running on the court, I’ll be fine. But more than anything, really excited. I know how much work and how much time I put in to make sure my body is as healthy as possible and to get back.”
Clark’s injury setbacks last year included a groin strain followed by an ankle bruise. The Fever’s medical staff closely monitored his recovery as he worked to return to the field.
Cameron Brink (33) celebrates with Caitlin Clark (17) during the United States women’s basketball team’s training camp at Duke University on December 13, 2025, in Durham, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Clark suggested that adversity has only reinforced his reliance on preparation and discipline.
“I’ve always been a person that’s going to trust my work. I feel like it’s certainly made me work harder,” the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year said, referring to her injury setbacks.
“But that’s probably also the part that kind of sucked: I felt like I put a lot of time and a lot of energy into last season and then obviously I only appeared in about 13 games.”
Clark did not compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but she reflected on the experience of seeing Team USA jerseys as a teenager and how that moment helped shape her dream of one day wearing one herself.
Caitlin Clark during USA women’s basketball training camp at Duke University on December 12, 2025, in Durham, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
“My eyes were wide open. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world,” he said. “[To see] the absolute national jerseys of great male and female players. “The dream of any 15 or 16-year-old boy is to achieve it one day.”
With the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, Clark said she remains focused on constant progress rather than looking too far into the future.
“There’s a long way to go to get to that point,” he said. “Obviously, that’s my goal, the World Cup before that. I have a lot to learn.”
Anticipation builds as Caitlin Clark’s debut on Team USA nears after long injury layoff
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