Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Hall of Famer raves about Caitlin Clark after spectacular return from injury

By Colby Colwell | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 3:52 PM ET

If it was not apparent how important Caitlin Clark is to the Indiana Fever before her return to action on Saturday against the New York Liberty, she wasted little time reminding everyone.

The Fever won, 102-88, and handed the defending-champion Liberty their first loss of the season in Clark's first game back from a left quad injury.

Clark led the way with 32 points (11-of-20 FG, 7-of-14 3PT), including 14 in the first quarter, plus eight rebounds and nine assists. Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo discussed Clark's emphatic return during an appearance on ESPN's "First Take" on Monday morning.

"Have we seen players go on runs? Of course, we have, but not like that, where a couple of the three-pointers are from 30-plus feet. It was an exhibition by her after being out for 19 days to recover from an injury. Couple that with other passes she made," Lobo said of Clark's performance against the Liberty. "Some of the other plays, it was just ridiculous. It's not often that I'm watching the WNBA and I'm just like, 'Wow, I've never seen this before.'"

"We know how much Caitlin drives attention on the WNBA and for her to come back and do it in that way was just ridiculous."

—@RebeccaLobo on Caitlin Clark being "the most exciting player" to watch in the league pic.twitter.com/QlIEiuMNnk
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 16, 2025

Before her return on Saturday, Clark had missed the last five games since taking the court in a 90-88 loss to the Liberty on May 24. She has been Indiana's leading scorer in three of the five games she has appeared in and led the team in assists in each game.

The Fever (5-5) started the season 2-2, with both losses by a combined three points. In the five games she missed, Indiana went 2-3 and suffered their largest margin of defeat of the season, 77-58, to the Atlanta Dream on June 10.

As one of only two players (Angel Reese) with a triple-double this season, Clark's return is sure to provide a spark for the Fever and a boost for the WNBA, especially if she turns in performances similar to the one she had on Saturday.

Colby Colwell

Colby Colwell is a freelance contributor with a bachelor’s in Computer & Information Technology and a minor in Psychology from Western Kentucky University. With a deep passion for sports, especially NASCAR, he offers his substantial knowledge along with his adept writing skills. When he’s not writing, Colby enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with his family

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