Caitlin Clark Sits Out Celebration After Fever Clinch Playoff Spot

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Sep 7, 2025 10:21 PM ET

The absence of Caitlin Clark has been a major storyline of the 2025 WNBA season for the Indiana Fever, but they refuse to let it hold them back.

Coming off her 2024 Rookie of the Year campaign, Clark played just 13 games in her second season, averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.8 assists while leading the league in All-Star voting.

Three days after Clark officially announced she will not return from injury this season, the Fever clinched a spot in the 2025 WNBA playoffs with a 94-65 win against Washington Mystics on Sunday.

The 23-year-old was in the locker room as the celebrations carried on after the game, but she did not participate with her teammates in a video shot by Aliyah Boston right in front of her.

@aliyah.boston
Take is thruuuuu thereeee #playoffs #wnba #indianafever #fyp #aliyahboston helll yeahhhhh
♬ original sound - DJ Bronx Supreme⚡️

Clark could be seen in the left of the frame, sitting at her locker on her phone.

Several commenters on TikTok and X took notice of Clark's disinterest in being in a dance video, but hoped to see the star player in the next one as she remains a key emotional leader on the playoff-bound squad.

On her phone instead of doing a TikTok checks out pic.twitter.com/prpANRw04w
— ericaf455 (@ericaf455) September 8, 2025

Five players hit double figures for Indiana in Sunday's win, a fitting way to show how the team has rallied together to clinch back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since 2015 and 2016.

"We never doubted ourselves," Boston said of the team's resiliency. We never doubted that we could be in the playoffs, even if things looked like it got harder."

The Fever waived marquee offseason signing DeWanna Bonner after playing just nine games and lost three other players besides Clark to season-ending injuries. Through it all, Boston said the team displayed enough heart to keep them going.

"I think through everything, you're able to see us play with joy and stay together, regardless of who's on the floor," said the All-Star center after clinching the playoff spot.

Indiana has one regular season game remaining against the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday. They will finish as either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed, and are guaranteed to host at least one game in the playoffs, which start on Sunday, Sept. 14.

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

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