When Indiana Fever rookie phenom Caitlin Clark crumpled to the ground after rolling her ankle seven minutes into Monday’s matchup against the Atlanta Dream, there was a collective gasp inside State Farm Arena.
Fortunately for Fever fans, Clark returned later in the second quarter and appeared to be fine, but slow-motion replays of the incident had fans freaking out on social media.
The injury appeared to happen as Clark was trailing Nia Coffey in the paint. She tried to pull up and stop before colliding with teammate Aliyah Boston, but as she planted her left ankle, it rolled under her weight as she fell to the court.
Clark visibly writhed in pain on the floor for a few moments as she was attended to by the training staff. The 22-year-old eventually labored over to the bench under her own power.
Instead of heading to the locker room, Clark finished out the first quarter on the bench before returning in the second quarter. Having Clark in the game is of vital importance as the Fever are fighting for a playoff appearance.
Despite Clark’s injury, the Fever held a 52-38 halftime lead at time of publication, and Clark had eight points, four rebounds and three assists.