Caitlin Clark could only watch has team came up short in in the deciding Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals on Tuesday against the Las Vegas Aces.
Clark has been sidelined due to injury for most of the season, and the Fever decided to deactivate her before the playoffs as a precaution for the longevity of her career. Expectations stayed low for the Fever at that point as the team had a slim lead on a lower playoff seed, but Indiana made an improbable run to the WNBA semifinals and came up short in overtime, 107-98, with a chance to reach the finals.
“So much to be proud. Shoutout (to) the fans for staying with us all year,” Clark wrote on X.com.
The Fever’s No. 1 pick in 2024, Clark burst on the scene as a rookie and became one of the league’s biggest stars amid Rookie of the Year honors. Clark’s strong play continued in 2025, but injuries ultimately derailed her second season.
If Clark comes back healthy in 2026, the Fever could make a serious run for the WNBA championship. This year’s Fever squad knocked on the door of the finals with a deluge of key players sidelined besides Clark: Aari McDonald, Chloe Bibby, Damiris Dantas, and Sydney Colson.
Fever Coach Stephanie White Heaps Praise on Team
Indiana players couldn’t hang their heads after the loss on Tuesday against an Aces team that fielded a core of players from the 2023 championship team. The Fever came into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed and knocked off the No. 3 seed Atlanta Dream before a tight series with the Aces.
“They’re a great example to everybody of what it means to just put one foot in front of the other,” Fever head coach Stephanie White told reporters after the game. “To persevere, to welcome people into the fold, to not give in to circumstance, to lead with grace and dignity, to sacrifice for a greater good and a common good. I’m just so thankful to coach these women, and I’m just thankful for this experience with them.”
Fever’s Aliyah Boston Already Dreaming About 2026
Indiana’s No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, star forward Aliyah Boston wants to see her team’s possibilities come to fruition in 2026, which will be her fourth year in the league. She walked away from the Aces series with confidence and determination for a big year next season.
“This has been my best year,” Boston told reporters afterward. “Seriously, I think with the people that we have in the locker room, the amount of fun that I had on the court, off the court, in the locker room, we just talked about how special this group was, and how we’re always going to be connected. ”
“And honestly, that’s how I feel. Like, these women became my sisters so quickly,” she added. “And it was honestly just some of the best basketball I’ve had.”
Boston wants to use the loss and watching the WNBA finals off the court as fuel for the fire in 2026. The Fever could be loaded with most of the current roster back healthy.
“You can’t hold on to it,” Boston explained. “I mean, you just look at it, and obviously we’re going to be watching the championship games, and that’s going to be the feeling, that we want to be in that next year. And that’s going to be the mindset, [we’re] already prepping.”
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