Caitlin Clark’s return to the court caused the Indiana Fever star to gasp for air at the start of the game after taking some time away from basketball.
Clark had been playing the game seemingly non-stop since last November after starting her senior year of college at Iowa, then quickly getting drafted and beginning her WNBA career.
Not being included in the Olympic team allowed Clark to get some much-needed rest, but it also threw her off a bit and left her tired after just a few minutes.
That’s what he told reporters after Friday night’s 98-89 win over the Phoenix Mercury.
“At six minutes in I asked for a sub, to be honest,” Clark said with a laugh. “I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ I think it was about seven minutes in. I asked for a sub. I thought, ‘I need a quick minute here.'”
Caitlin Clark said she had to be substituted early in her game due to exhaustion.
He eventually bounced back, scoring 29 points and dishing out ten assists in a win over Phoenix.
“Because we play fast and my defense is not that good. It’s a disadvantage for my team. I just need a second to breathe.”
Despite his initial exhaustion, Clark says maintaining his game readiness has gone relatively well.
“I think getting back into game shape has been pretty easy,” Clark shared. “We’ve been competing really hard in practice and playing against our guys live. We’ve had referees come in. Basically, I think we’ve played live on five different occasions.”
“We’ve just been practicing. The best way to stay in shape for basketball is to play live basketball, but obviously it’s going to be very difficult to replicate a real game. So it felt good to be back playing.”
Clark put on a show for the home fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a 29-point, 10-assist performance that dazzled and delighted.
She shot 8 of 16 from the field and 4 of 11 from beyond the arc.