Caitlin Clark's back issues have been nagging her since the start of the new season, and she is about to miss her second straight game and third overall because of it on Sunday.

The newly minted three-time All-Star will not participate in the game against reigning champions the Las Vegas Aces. This comes after the Indiana Fever star announced it herself during a Fever practice session.

However, Clark also revealed that it won't be long until fans can see her on the hardwood again and expressed some caution amid the Fever’s busy schedule.

“Feeling really, really positive about getting back into one of the games at the back-to-back,” she said. “Obviously, it’s difficult coming back in a back-to-back, so we’ll have to be cautious of that," Clark told reporters.

“But I feel a lot better, and like I said, I’m excited to get back into practice. And this week has been very helpful for my overall health.” Clark added.

The Fever are in the midst of a seven-day break between games. Clark last played on June 24, which means that if she returns on the front end of the back-to-back on July 8, she would have had 13 days to rest and recuperate.

Following the injury, Clark has been doing individual workouts and was also in practice on Friday.

The Fever start their four-game road trip on July 5, which includes back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 8 and Phoenix Mercury on July 9. The trip concludes with another game against the Aces on July 12.

Clark's interview on Friday has gone viral on social media, not only because of her injury update, but because it was the first time she spoke about the controversy that happened between her and Phoenix Mercury's Alyssa Thomas.

Caitlin Clark Addresses Frustrations About Fallout From Alyssa Thomas' Flagrant Foul

Nine days after the Fever and Mercury faced off in a game that resulted in one player injured, another suspended, and a coach blasting the officials, Clark finally had a chance to respond to it all on Friday.

In an interview that lasted over 5 minutes, Clark more or less summed up the situation as maturely as possible.

“I did think it was a flagrant foul,” Clark said of the incident with Thomas. “I think overall the league just has to do better … protecting the people in this league.”

Clark and Thomas were involved in a loose-ball play in which Thomas' fist made contact with Clark's throat.

Although officials did not assess a flagrant foul in real time, the WNBA reviewed the play afterward, upgraded it to a Flagrant Foul 2 and suspended the Mercury forward for one game.

However, the incident went viral on social media, and unfortunately, Thomas received a ton of personal attacks and harassment.

“The harassment, the hate, none of that is okay,” Clark said.

“That goes for the opposing team we play. That goes for my teammates, that goes for my coaches. There should never be a question of character. I’ve always stood up here and said that, and that’s how I was raised. None of that is okay, and I don’t want anybody to ever experience that.” She added.

Fans appreciated Clark's comments, stating this as one of the reasons she is the face of the WNBA.

The Fever face the Mercury again on July 9, and it will be interesting to see if Clark is ready for that game and if there is any more bad blood between the two teams.

So, how would you assess Caitlin Clark's comments regarding Alyssa Thomas? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joy Bassy