Caitlin Clark Addresses “Mental Hurdle” After Playing 30 Minutes in Her Last Game

It fueled up after the Fever guard faced back stiffness in her last game. CC was forced to head to the locker room mid-game and was even seen wearing a heat therapy pad on the bench. Despite these challenges, she played for about 30 minutes and even scored 20 points.

But as she later revealed, she wasn’t fully mentally comfortable. Speaking at a conversation with ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Clark shed light on these hurdles. The Fever guard said she would need time to fully commit to her fitness after an injury-laden 2025 season (groin injury and ankle bruise) that saw her play just 13 games.

“You just become hyper cautious to certain things… when my back tightened up, I think I almost got confidence from that, because I came back in and I played eight more minutes so, and I felt great the last eight minutes,” she said “But it’s going to take me a little bit to, like, really get over this mental hurdle of, like, trusting my body. Coming off an injury, it’s quite natural for pro players to be a bit wary of their actions on the court. And for Clark, it’s quite the same.

Speaking in the post-game press conference, Clark floated the same explanations. The Fever guard had stated that she was ‘anxious’ amid this return to the WNBA regular season after 9 months. Fever insider Scott Agness also claimed that this anxiety and nervousness of the first game can also be a major reason for the tightening of Clark’s muscles.