Caitlin Clark is not having a great season. After her heroics led the WNBA to burst onto the scene, the expectations for the 23-year-old rookie were pretty high. Unfortunately, after only 13 games, Clark had to take a backseat due to her groin injury. Thankfully, despite her absence, the team did manage to go to the playoffs. In fact, Fever GM Amber Cox also delivered a heartfelt note. However, by missing the rest of the season, Clark has also lost her WNBA bonus.
The Fever star is having a tough time adjusting to the bench. That is because all her years of playing basketball, she has never sat out of a game ever. But now that she will have to wait till the next year to come back, a lucrative bonus went begging for Clark.
Caitlin Clark Misses Out On Bonus Due To Her Rookie Contract
The Indiana Fever had a plethora of injuries hindering their season this year. After the injury of Clark, the likes of Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald, and Chloe Bibby too, joined the injured list. Taking up the responsibility, the likes of Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston impressed with their performances. And the Fever front office too, had a pleasant gift.
Owing to her scintillating performance in helping the Fever clinch a playoff spot, the team announced that Mitchell will be given a $20,000 time-off bonus. This means that the Fever veteran will earn the amount during the offseason. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Clark.
Side note: You cannot give time-off bonuses to players on rookie-scale contracts. Only veterans. For those trying to come up with conspiracy theories as to why certain names don't appear. #WNBA https://t.co/HryYxRll6v
— Richard Cohen (@RichardCohen1) September 11, 2025
Despite being regarded as the best of the lot for the Indiana Fever, the 23-year-old rookie star will not be entitled to the bonus. This is because the 2024 Rookie of the Year is still on a rookie scale contract. Meanwhile, as Clark’s season-ending decision got key insights from ESPN, the 23-year-old had an emotional confession to make.
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Caitlin Clark Makes Emotional Confession About Missing Playoffs
The Indiana Fever star did have a fine run in the 13 games she played. Posting an impressive average of 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game, Clark looked like she was in her element. However, with Fever’s frontline star sidelined, the team was pretty much doubtful for the playoffs. Fever also had some lean patches in the meantime. But thankfully, the combined efforts of the Fever athletes made it possible to clinch the playoff spot.
Naturally, such an achievement made Clark extremely happy. Looking at her team’s advance, she took to her Instagram story and posted a black and white image of herself with the caption, “I miss this so bad.”
Clark is currently going through a rehab period. And while she has tried hard to recover in time, things did not quite turn out in the manner she expected. The team doctors, more concerned about her long-term well-being, advised her to sit out the season.