Caitlin Clark is back and stronger than ever.
The 23-year-old Indiana Fever star spoke with the media on Monday for the first time since WNBA teams returned to the court this weekend to open training camp. And it was Clark’s noticeably larger biceps that stole the show, according to several reports, weeks after her muscles went viral.
“That was my biggest focus in the offseason, just trying to get stronger and really working on that,” Clark told reporters after practice, according to The Indianapolis Star. “And really thankful to Sarah, our strength and conditioning coach, putting in a lot of time with me, and we were in here consistently. I think that was the biggest thing for myself, is just having that consistency, to be able to work on it for six months, or whatever it was. So I certainly feel a lot stronger.”
The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year didn’t have a break last season. Days after finishing her final season with Iowa in April 2024, which ended with a loss in the NCAA Championship game, Clark was selected No. 1 overall by Indiana in the WNBA Draft. Less than two weeks after that, the WNBA’s training camp began and Clark was back at it — but at an even higher level of competition.
It’s now been more than seven months since Clark last played competitive basketball. She told reporters on Monday it was an “adjustment” for her to be away from the court for so long after playing her last two seasons back-to-back without a real break. But it was also a welcomed one, the Iowa native said.
“The rest was good,” Clark said, according to the Associated Press. “I thought it was going to feel long and it really didn’t. We were in here all the time. But that rest aspect, just getting my body where it needed to be and really on things I needed to work on was super important. But I’m ready to compete again.”
Clark’s offseason made headlines for what she did off the court — whether it was for her budding friendship with Taylor Swift, snapping selfies with Serena Williams, investing in a women’s soccer team or having her college jersey retired — but out of view from the media, the Fever guard said she spent plenty of time in the gym building muscle and playing “a lot of pickup” basketball games.
Clark told reporters “the vibes are really good” in Indiana’s locker room now that all of her teammates are back in the gym.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Obviously we’re probably not in the heat of battle yet, we’re out here competing with one another, but at the same time, everybody’s here supporting one another and having fun and enjoying it,” Clark said, according to ESPN, noting that the decision to add muscle over the offseason has already made a “huge” impact on her game.
“I’m a pretty self-aware person,” Clark said, adding, “Even through these two practices, I can certainly feel it.”
Read the full article here
