Caitlin Clark with the referee (Photo Via X)
Well, that’s one way to stay involved from the bench.
Caitlin Clark may have missed her fifth straight game with a lingering groin injury, but she still found a way to light up Saturday night’s contest, just not with her usual deep three.
Instead, she nearly fooled a WNBA referee into a high-five during a timeout, drawing laughs from fans and teammates while Indiana’s lead slipped away late in an 89-87 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks.
Clark, 23, has been sidelined for nearly two weeks, watching her Indiana Fever squad ride a rollercoaster of results. But even in street clothes, the rookie sensation brought her usual energy.
Cameras caught her hyping up teammates on the bench, including Sophie Cunningham, before hilariously extending her hand to dap up referee Jason Alabanza, who stared for a beat, then left her hanging with a smirk and a friendly nudge on the shoulder. Clark doubled over laughing and jogged back to the bench, giggling.
Clark’s Fever Falls Flat After Strong Week
Caitlin Clark and Jason Alabanza (Photo By Imagn Images)
The Fever looked nothing like the squad that beat the Minnesota Lynx and blew out the Las Vegas Aces by 27 earlier in the week. Instead, they let a fourth-quarter lead vanish in the final minute, falling to the 10th-place Sparks for the second time in nine days.
Clark’s sideline antics were a rare moment of levity in an otherwise frustrating night for Indiana. Without their star guard, the Fever are now 5-5 on the season, slightly better than their 4-4 record with her on the court.
Saturday’s loss also came just two weeks before the WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, where Clark will serve as one of the captains. She earned the honor after finishing as one of the top two fan vote-getters, specifically first, joining Napheesa Collier in drafting from the All-Star pool.
Despite her current absence, Clark has kept everyone talking. Her return from a previous five-game absence didn’t go as planned. She shot just 3-for-13 against Seattle, including 0-for-6 from deep. In the two games before that, she went 1-for-17 from beyond the arc, a stat line few expected from the sharpshooting phenom.
For now, fans can only hope the high-fives, and her scoring touch return soon.
