Caitlin Clark left Saturday’s season opener against the Dallas Wings at Gainbridge Fieldhouse multiple times to receive back adjustments, setting off immediate concern among fans. Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White addressed the exits postgame and put the situation in direct terms, revealing that Clark was not the only player making trips to the back during the game and that routine body maintenance was the explanation.

“I think when we’re all really young, we don’t learn proper mechanics, and then it doesn’t get exposed until something happens,” White said. “And trying to get her body mechanically the way that it needs to go, this is going to be an ongoing thing. Not just her. I mean, we’ve had multiple players who have gone back. "

"We don’t have the blue tent, right, but they’re going to go back and get adjusted and make sure that the body’s working. Hip alignment gets off, and rib alignment gets off, and it’s part of being a professional athlete. So nothing really outside of that. I mean, we wouldn’t have played her 30 minutes if she wasn’t okay,” Stephanie White added.

Caitlin Clark herself backed that up after the final buzzer, as she confirmed that the exits were simply to get her back adjusted, adding that she felt great, per IndyStar’s Chloe Peterson.

Clark returned with roughly a minute elapsed in the fourth quarter and scored almost immediately after checking back in.

Furthermore, the Fever PR department also told reporter Robin Lundberg that anything said on the ABC broadcast about Clark’s health was “speculation.”

That being said, the Indiana Fever lost 107-104 in a game that carried historical weight regardless of the result, as it was only the second-ever WNBA meeting between Clark and Paige Bueckers, and it featured the last four first overall picks on the court at the same time: Aliyah Boston, Clark, Bueckers, and Azzi Fudd.

And despite the defeat, Caitlin Clark gave fans a milestone to hold onto, as she became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points, 250 rebounds, and 250 assists in a career, achieving it in 54 games while breaking Diana Taurasi’s previous record of 62.

Having said that, the approach that White and Clark are taking is more than just a mere precaution.

Stephanie White and Caitlin Clark Shift Focus to Body Management Heading Into Full Season

The back adjustment context matters, given what Clark missed last season, as she played just 13 games in 2025 before a groin injury and bone bruise sidelined her for the year, leaving White and the Fever to navigate the bulk of the season without her.

This made the Fever organization spend the offseason focusing on building her durability, with Caitlin Clark saying before tip-off that she had “done every single thing I can to be healthy” and that three full preseason games had her feeling ready.

Stephanie White has been intentional about structuring Clark’s workload from the start of camp, emphasizing body maintenance as a daily priority rather than a reactive measure, and Saturday’s exits, while alarming in the moment, fit that framework rather than cutting against it.

The Indiana Fever play their next game Tuesday, with a full schedule of 44 games and a championship expectation that makes Caitlin Clark’s availability the organization’s most important variable all season.

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Written by

Arvind Rao

Edited by

Arvind Rao