Whitlock Says Clark Is Quietly Winding Down. She Just Boarded a Flight to Los Angeles.

Caitlin Clark left the court twice during Indiana's season opener against Dallas. She wore a heated therapy pad on the sideline, got her back adjusted in the locker room, then returned and finished with 20 points and seven assists in a 107-104 loss. That was enough material for Jason Whitlock to construct an elaborate theory about the end of her career.

Whitlock's argument, published May 10, went like this: "If the WNBA, the Indiana Fever, and Nike know that Caitlin Clark will never be fully healthy again, then everything they've done the last 8-10 months makes perfect sense." His evidence included a back brace reminiscent of Larry Bird's, the Fever selecting point guard Raven Johnson in the draft, and a GM survey that didn't hand Clark every category.

WNBA analyst Rachel DeMita was less conspiratorial but still skeptical, describing the locker room visits as "strange" and adding: "I'm not going to sit here and spread a rumour that Caitlin Clark is injured. We just don't know." Both reactions landed while the Fever were already preparing for their next game.

Head coach Stephanie White addressed the situation without drama: "It's just part of maintaining the body. This is going to be an ongoing thing, and not just her." Clark's explanation was even shorter. "It gets out of line pretty quickly," she said about her back. "Other than that, I feel great."

The conspiracy requires a coordinated cover-up between the team, the league, and a shoe company. The simpler read: Clark, who missed 28 games in 2025 with groin and ankle injuries, had her back reset mid-game and played 30 minutes in a one-possession season opener against the defending-conference runner-up.

She's in Los Angeles tonight. The Sparks tip off Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.