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Caitlin Clark's Shoes in Return from Injury Hold Special Meaning

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Borba | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 3:39 PM ET

After missing the last five games for the Indiana Fever with a left quadriceps injury, 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark will return to the floor on Saturday.

She and the Fever (4-5) will be taking on the undefeated New York Liberty (9-0) after a stretch that saw Indiana muster just a 2-3 record in her absence. Aside from the Fever seeing some wind taken out of its sails, the WNBA as a whole also took a hit from Clark's injury, with viewership around the league dropping 55%.

Aside from fans clearly missing Clark on the court, there has also been some growing frustrations with Nike over the fact Clark doesn't have her signature shoe line just yet.

While there has yet to be a Clark signature shoe, she has been sporting player-exclusive colorways throughout the year. As revealed for Saturday's bout, she will be sporting a special pair of Nike Kobe 6 Protro Player Edition's.

Caitlin Clark is debuting her new Nike Kobe 6 Protro PE's "The Bellas" in honor of her dog, Bella, today against New York pic.twitter.com/K9WelF3sHo
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) June 14, 2025

As seen in the post by the Fever, Clark will be donning "The Bellas," in honor of her golden retriever pup, Bella.

A nice touch that the team shared to Instagram was that there is a picture of Bella on the soles of the shoes, with the sneakers also seeming to be the same color as Clark's pup as well.

In terms of Clark's role with the team as she returns back, the 2024 WNBA All-Star revealed she isn't expecting to have a minutes restriction.

“I’m not a huge fan of minutes restrictions, I think they’re silly," Clark said. "I told them, ‘I don’t want to come back unless I’m 100% full go.’ Why would I be out there to play 20 minutes? I'm out there to win and give everything I have to this team."

According to ESPN BET, the Liberty are 3.5-point favorites. As for ESPN's Matchup Predictor, it gives the Fever just a 35.4% chance of pulling off the upset.

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

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