Caitlin Clark returns to top of basketball world

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Caitlin Clark appeared to be back on top of her game after missing most of the 2025 season with injuries.

Clark played for Team USA in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournament this month, and on Tuesday, she was named the MVP.

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Caitlin Clark prepares to take a free throw during the Women’s World Cup qualifier against Puerto Rico on March 12, 2026, in San Juan. (Alexa Alejandro/FIBA via Getty Images)

The Indiana Fever star, who was making her debut with the senior team, averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists per game as the Americans went a perfect 5-0. The team won games against Senegal, Puerto Rico, Italy, New Zealand and Spain to round out the tournament.

It’s the second MVP award for Clark on the world stage. She received the honor when she was a part of the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2021.

Clark has taken a long journey back to the basketball court as she only played in 13 games for the Fever during the 2025 season. She averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5 rebounds per game, but an injury right before the All-Star break threw her off course.

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Caitlin Clark brings the ball upcourt during a training camp for the U.S women’s national basketball team, Dec. 12, 2025, in Durham, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File)

The sharpshooting guard suffered a groin strain and then a bone bruise in her ankle. The Fever closely monitored her recovery and eventually ruled her out for the remainder of the regular season.

“I’ve always been a person that’s going to just rely on my work. I feel like it’s certainly made me work harder,” the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year said earlier this month, referencing her injury setbacks.

“But that’s also probably the part that kind of stunk about it is I felt like I put in so much time and so much energy going into last season and then, obviously, only appeared in about 13 games.”

Despite worries about being rusty, Clark scored 17 points in her first game against Senegal. She nailed four 3-pointers and it set the stage for how the rest of the tournament would go.