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ESPN Reveals Caitlin Clark Doesn't Plan to Play Basketball in Fever Offseason

It appears that rookie Indiana Fever Caitlin Clark won't be playing in Unrivaled or any other league this offseason.

Grant Young

Sep 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Sep 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images / Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Indiana Fever just suffered an 87-81 defeat to the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, which that they have been eliminated from the WNBA playoffs and Caitlin Clark's rookie season is now over.

Despite the loss, Wednesday was an excellent bounce-back performance from the 22-year-old. She finished the game with 25 points (more than double the 11 points she scored during Game 1 on Sunday), 9 assists, and 6 rebounds in the loss.

While Clark's season with the Fever is over, there has been months of speculation about whether fans will see the rookie icon playing in the new Unrivaled League, which is set to begin in January and will take place in Miami.

Yet, a comment from ESPN commentator Ryan Ruocco during Wednesday's game implies that Clark has already decided against not playing in Unrivaled, nor any other offseason basketball league.

In the waning moments of Wednesday's game, Ruocco said, "We talked to Caitlin Clark earlier today. She said she almost definitely will not play basketball this offseason. So it is likely we will not see her play again until April."

While most of the WNBA's biggest superstars have already committed to playing Unrivaled this offseason, not having Clark suiting up after her rookie season puts a massive hamper on the hype that the brand-new 3x3 league is trying to produce.

Yet, given all the basketball that Clark has played over the last year, she is more than deserving of an extended break this summer where she can rest, recover, and work on her game to come back even better for Indiana next season.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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