Caitlin Clark had to remind herself to smile, have fun and not be so hard on herself. It’s been five months since the Indiana Fever All-Star last played competitively after missing most of the WNBA season with a variety of injuries. She last played in the middle of July before the All-Star Game after suffering a groin injury. Clark said she was back to 100% and showed flashes of her play that has brought millions of new fans to women’s basketball over the past few years. She hit a few deep 3-pointers on Duke’s practice court and threw some beautiful passes that led to easy baskets for her teammates.
A’ja Wilson stood atop the WNBA again, winning an unprecedented fourth MVP as her Las Vegas Aces earned a third championship in four seasons. For that, she earned The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for the first time. It’s the second consecutive year a basketball player won the award after Caitlin Clark was honored in 2024. A group of 47 sports journalists from the AP and its members voted. Wilson received 17 votes, tennis star Aryna Sabalenka was second with nine and Paige Bueckers was third with five.
Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Sabrina Ionescu and Arike Ogunbowale will all get a chance to play one more game at their college arenas as their WNBA teams are playing preseason games on campus. It’s a trend, started by the Las Vegas Aces last season when they played at South Carolina in a return for A’ja Wilson to her alma mater. It gives WNBA teams a chance to capitalize on the popularity of star players. On Friday, Ogunbowale and the Dallas Wings take on Wilson and the Aces at Notre Dame, while Reese headlines the Chicago Sky’s trip to LSU to face the Brazilian national team. On Sunday, Clark leads the Indiana Fever to Iowa for an exhibition game against Brazil.