WNBA issues Indiana Fever warning for Caitlin Clark late-scratch

Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White told reporters that she didn't expect the team to be fined for how it handled star guard Caitlin Clark 's first missed game of the season, and the WNBA proved her right on Thursday. In lieu of any official punishment, the Fever was issued a warning for failure to properly update Caitlin Clark’s status ahead of the May 20 game against the Portland Fire , the league confirmed to USA TODAY. NEWS: The Indiana Fever received a warning for failure to properly update Caitlin Clark’s status ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Portland Fire, the WNBA confirmed to @usatstudioix @USATODAY — Callie Fin (@Callie__Fin) May 22, 2026 Clark was ruled out at the last minute with a back injury on Wednesday, which raised some questions around the WNBA .

The league requires teams to submit injury reports the day before a game by 5 p. m. in the time zone of the contest’s location.

From then, teams are supposed to immediately inform the league with availability changes in the case that new injuries or illnesses arise. But Clark was not listed on the injury report on Tuesday, even though White said she pregame on Wednesday that Clark missed Tuesday's practice to receive treatment for her back. White also said that Clark woke up on Wednesday with "stiffness and soreness in her back" the same issue that led Clark to head to the locker room and get adjusted during the Fever's season-opening loss to the Dallas Wings.

The league looked into the circumstances surrounding Clark's absence and evidently found enough room for reasonable doubt that the Fever intentionally circumvented league rules. As previously reported by USA TODAY, the league is not bound to any firm set of mandates as it pertains to enforcing its own rules. Fines and other punishments are issued on a case-by-case basis with a team's past track record taken into account.