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The No. 22 jerseys and shirts were still scattered throughout Barclays Center, even though Caitlin Clark donned a hoodie and sweatpants and never left the Fever bench.

There had been a glimmer of hope that maybe Clark wouldn’t miss any time at all after initially appearing on the injury report as questionable, but that changed less than three hours before tipoff on Wednesday night. 

Clark missed the Liberty’s 98-77 win over the Fever with a right groin injury sustained the night before, forcing Indiana to operate without its star and putting Clark’s status for this weekend’s WNBA All-Star festivities — where she is scheduled to participate in the 3-point contest and captain a team in Indianapolis — in doubt.

It marked the 11th absence of the season for Clark, who didn’t miss any time during her rookie campaign in 2024 and was never sidelined across her four seasons at Iowa. 

Fever head coach Stephanie White said before the game that Clark underwent imaging Wednesday, though she didn’t provide a concrete timeline for Clark to return from her latest setback and didn’t speculate about her status for the weekend.

Indiana travels to Brooklyn again Tuesday in its first game following the break, but it’s unclear if Clark will be back by then. 

“Being injured and continuing to have setbacks is frustrating,” White said before the game. “Mentally, emotionally. Oftentimes, being injured is isolating, so from my standpoint, the primary conversations that we’ve had last night and today are just checking in. … Caitlin and her team will make decisions when it comes to All-Star.” 

Clark’s latest injury occurred with 40 seconds left Tuesday, when she threaded a pass between two defenders and held her right groin area on the way back down the court.

Clark kept walking until she reached the basket stanchion, slamming her head against it before veering toward the Indiana bench. White told reporters at the time that Clark — who just missed five games with a left groin injury before returning July 9 after also dealing with quad tightness and a quad strain earlier in the year — “felt a little something in her groin.” 

In a season where the Fever have continued adjusting with Clark in and out of the lineup, her latest absence spoiled a return to one of the WNBA’s biggest markets.

Instead, Clark was stuck on the bench, tasked with navigating another injury in a season where her stats — 16.5 points, 8.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds per game — look similar to last year’s numbers but where the context illustrates a roller-coaster campaign that just encountered its latest turn. 

“She’s a great player,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said pregame. “It would’ve been great for our crowd to see her, but hopefully they get to see her after the [All-Star break].” 

Natasha Cloud said she accepted an invite to participate in the All-Star weekend skills competition because “sometimes you just need your foot in the door.” 

“This is an opportunity,” Cloud, the 10-year veteran who felt she was once again snubbed from the main event, said. “Obviously I didn’t get to be an All-Star this season, but this is a way of providing for my family too and potential to win some money and just go have fun at All-Star.”