Caitlin Clark reveals she asked to be taken out of latest WNBA game after just SIX MINUTES – because she was exhausted after summer break
When Caitlin Clark returned to the court, the Indiana Fever star was out of breath early in the game, having been away from basketball for a while.
Clark had been playing non-stop since last November, after starting her senior year of college at Iowa, and was promptly drafted and began her WNBA career.
Not being on the Olympic team gave Clark a much-needed break, but it also threw her off her rhythm a bit, leaving her tired after just a few minutes.
She told reporters after Friday night’s 98-89 victory over the Phoenix Mercury.
“I asked for a sub at six minutes, if I’m being honest,” Clark said, laughing. “I was like, Holy cow. I think it was like seven minutes. I asked for a sub. I was like, ‘I need a quick minute here.’
Caitlin Clark said she had to be substituted early in her match due to exhaustion
She eventually recovered, scoring 29 points and dishing out ten assists in a win over Phoenix
“Because we played fast and my defense is not that good. That’s a burden for my team. I just need to catch my breath.”
Despite her early fatigue, Clark says she has been able to maintain her playing ability relatively well.
“It’s been, I think, pretty easy to get back into game shape,” Clark said. “We’ve been battling really hard in practice and playing our guys live. We’ve had referees come in. I think we’ve played live five times, basically.
“We just played a practice game. The best way to stay in basketball shape is just to play live basketball, but of course it will be very difficult to imitate a real game. So it felt good to play again.”
Clark put on a show for the home fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse with a 29-point, 10-assist performance that impressed and delighted.
She shot 8 of 16 efficiently and 4 of 11 from behind the three-point line.