None could deny that the 2025 season wasn’t exactly the best for Caitlin Clark. The 2024 Rookie of the Year was limited to just 13 games, as she endured injuries for the first time in the last five seasons. But was it really bad enough to land her on the losers' list?

If you ask The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman, then yes. And that's why in their recent 2025 WNBA ratings, they reflected on their “gifts” (winners) and “coal” (losers) and CC ended up in the latter category. With the Holiday season coming to an end, let's jump into why CC made it there.

“Coal: Injuries to Caitlin Clark, JuJu Watkins and more,” read the article by The Athletic. So it wasn’t really Clark herself, but her injury that landed in the coal category for the WNBA. And that’s not hard to understand.

Though she wasn’t the only one affected by the injury plague. "Napheesa Collier, Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Courtney Vandersloot all missed chunks of last season." read the same article.

According to IX Basketball, the 2025 season had historically high injury totals and injury rates. And the WNBA wasn’t alone. Even the NCAA saw top players sidelined, as JuJu Watkins suffered an ACL tear in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, while Chloe Kitts tore her ACL before the start of the 2025–26 season.

So yes, it was a massive loss for both the NCAA and the WNBA. Had it not happened, fans would have enjoyed a better version of Caitlin Clark, her impressive assists, and more record-breaking moments.

Still, Clark delivered the best she could. But what about the win for the WNBA?

A’ja Wilson, the 2025 TIME Athlete of the Year

According to The Athletic, the win goes to A’ja Wilson—and there’s no doubt she deserves it. She became the first player in WNBA or NBA history to win a championship, earn Finals MVP, league MVP, a scoring title, and Defensive Player of the Year in a single season.

That alone makes her a big winner. What makes it even more impressive is that it marked her third title in four seasons and her fourth MVP. And that’s not all. She also debuted her signature Nike sneakers, the A’One.

“She has every reason to still be rattling the pink tambourine she broke out after the Aces’ title,” Ben Pickman wrote. For now, Wilson is busy enjoying the offseason while preparing for yet another dominant season.

Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu