Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark Returns To Iowa After Missing 13th Fever Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 8:37 PM ET

WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark has struggled to stay on the court for the Indiana Fever in 2025, but that has not stopped her from making a difference off the court — including a trip back to her hometown in Iowa on Monday.

Caitlin Clark Misses Chicago Sky Game With Injury

Clark has missed 13 regular season games, one preseason game and the WNBA Commissioner's Cup final with four separate muscle injuries — currently she is out indefinitely while rehabbing a right groin injury. She and Angel Reese were both sidelined when the Fever beat the Sky 93-78 in Chicago on Sunday.

Clark, 23, made the most of the trip to Chicago. She brought fans to tears by signing more than 200 autographs inside United Center for the sold-out crowd of 19,601 — a Sky franchise record for single-game attendance.

A Convenient Return Home for the Iowa Legend

The arena was packed with those who watched Clark become a star in her home state of Iowa, where she grew up in West Des Moines and played at the University of Iowa.

For Hawkeye State residents, Chicago is a shorter trip than Indianapolis by about two hours. Clark used the same logic to parlay her trip to the Windy City into a convenient return to Iowa on Monday.

Here are a few of Clark's many accomplishments from her time playing college basketball in Iowa City:

NCAA all-time leading scorer
Led the Hawkeyes women's basketball team to back-to-back national championship games for the first time in program history
Iowa program records for most career points, assists and three-pointers

What Was Caitlin Clark Doing in Des Moines?

Clark made an appearance at McCombs Middle School to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new multi-use basketball court, which also doubled as a hard top soccer court.

The community court was one of four planned to be opened in Des Moines by the Caitlin Clark Foundation at Des Moines Public Schools.

I’ve got a feeling this’ll be their favorite backpack for a long long time @KCCINews https://t.co/HzhrPNUeeu pic.twitter.com/lpiSQVwLf8
— Jeff Dubrof KCCI (@JeffDubrofKCCI) July 28, 2025

While she was there, she passed out new Nike backpacks filled with school supplies to 500 students ahead of the upcoming school year.

Creating Opportunities for the Next Caitlin Clark

Whether it is signing autographs for the fans who travel to see her play or extending a Fever road trip with to make a difference in her hometown community, Clark has shown during her injury-riddled season that her value goes far beyond basketball.

After all, one of those 500 kids who now have access to the community court could be the next Caitlin Clark.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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