No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show

Episode: Caitlin Clark out for the remainder of the WNBA season
Date: September 5, 2025
Hosts: Ben Pickman & Sabreena Merchant

Episode Overview

This emergency bonus episode addresses star guard Caitlin Clark’s season-ending announcement due to a groin injury. Pickman and Merchant break down the timeline and impact of Clark’s absence, both for her career and for the Indiana Fever’s playoff chances. They reflect on Clark’s abbreviated second season, analyze what it means for the Fever’s roster-building strategy, and discuss broader implications for the WNBA, including business and viewership ramifications.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Clark’s Injury Timeline and Absence

• Clark last played July 15, 2025 in the WNBA Boston game vs. Connecticut Sun.
• Sustained a groin injury in the final minute, visibly emotional as she left the court.
  • “She walks to the other end of the court, sort of bangs her head against the stanchion. Her eyes are welling up...” — Sabreena Merchant (02:25)
• Initial hope for a quick return, with sightings of non-contact workouts in recent days, but never cleared for contact practice.
• Officially ruled out for all remaining 2025 regular and post-season games; played just 13 of 44 potential games.
• Clark’s statement:
  • “Disappointed isn’t a big enough word to describe how I am feeling.”
  • “Even in the bad there is good.” — Ben Pickman referencing Clark’s public comments (03:08)

Impact on Indiana Fever: Short and Long Term

• Team injury crisis: Multiple key players lost to season-ending injuries (Erin McDonald, Sydney Colson, Sophie Cunningham, Chloe Bibby).
• Playoff prospects:
  • “To me this is a first round exit team… This is not a team that is going to challenge Minnesota or Las Vegas without Caitlin Clark available.” — Sabreena Merchant (05:28)
  • Still fighting for a playoff berth; currently in 8th place.
• GM Amber Cox’s statement: “Ultimately time is not on our side.” (06:32)

Contextualizing Clark’s Season & Career Outlook

• Comparison to Michael Jordan’s second NBA season (broken foot, limited games, bounced back stronger).
  • “Michael Jordan did close out the regular season and play in three playoff games. But the next year, fully healthy...the rest is history...” — Ben Pickman (07:24)
• Statistical drop-off in Clark’s numbers:
  • Shooting struggles (2-for-35 on threes on the road; under 30% overall from 3).
  • Missed preseason games due to injury; signs of fatigue or lingering injury effects.
  • “We were judging Caitlin off of that second half of the season post Olympic break... expected her to take a step forward... and I think you have to acknowledge that Caitlin took a step back or at least her production took a step back.” — Sabreena Merchant (09:17)
• Team-built-to-win-now:
  • Offseason moves for veterans (e.g., Sophie Cunningham, Natasha Howard), coaching change to Stephanie White, sacrificing young assets.

Roster Construction and 2026 Plans

• Roster questions amid injuries and expansion draft uncertainty.
  • “I think the template has already been put out and it’s just a matter of whether they learned the same lessons from ‘25 that they did from ‘24.” — Sabreena Merchant (13:53)
• Clark-Boston partnership: Remains the clear core moving forward.
  • “[Clark and Boston] are a one, two punch that is right at the top of the league.” — Ben Pickman (14:36)
• Open championship window feels delayed; need for more stability and health.

The WNBA’s Growth—and What’s Lost

• League-wide attendance and viewership up substantially, average attendance at 11,000 (highest since 2002).
• Missed marketing opportunity: Clark’s and other stars’ absences (Angel Reese, Stewart, Collier, Wilson) diminish playoff and business potential.
  • “There was a chance here to really keep rocketing up and that hasn’t happened.” — Sabreena Merchant (20:31)
  • “We’re going to have a playoffs without Caitlin Clark. …there was a chance for a massive Clark-induced bump...” (20:53)
• ABC regular season numbers up 13% (1.4M/game); Clark played in just three of those games.
  • “But to your point about what could have been in the playoffs, yeah there’s a whole basketball angle…but there is also a, you know, who knows what the Finals viewership would have been…” — Ben Pickman (21:20)

When Will Clark Return?

• Question about Clark participating in the winter “Unrivaled” league.
  • Concern that Unrivaled’s physical toll isn’t right after long injury layoff.
    • “It just seems like a very physically taxing brand of basketball and that doesn’t feel like the kind of thing you want to step right back into after missing all of this time.” — Sabreena Merchant (24:17)
  • Likely next on-court appearance: 2026 WNBA season.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Disappointed isn’t a big enough word to describe how I am feeling.” — Caitlin Clark (via Ben Pickman, 03:08)
• “This is not a team that is going to challenge Minnesota or Las Vegas without Caitlin Clark available… that’s just a real bummer.” — Sabreena Merchant (05:30)
• Michael Jordan comparison:
  • “[He] played just 18 regular season games, suffered a foot fracture… The next year, fully healthy, I think he returned and was second in the MVP voting.” — Ben Pickman (07:24)
• On missed opportunity for the league:
  • “But there was a chance here to really keep rocketing up and that hasn’t happened.” — Sabreena Merchant (20:31)
• End note on fan disappointment:
  • “You want to see great athletes competing at the highest level in the biggest moments. And now we know as of Thursday night that we will not get that.” — Ben Pickman (25:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:34 — Hosts introduce emergency bonus pod and overview of Clark’s injury news
• 02:25 — Recap of the injury and aftermath, Clark missing All-Star Game
• 03:08 — Emotional ramifications and Clark’s own statement
• 05:28 — Consequences for the Fever’s playoff chase without Clark
• 07:24 — Historical comparison to Michael Jordan’s second season
• 09:17 — Reviewing Clark’s abbreviated, challenging sophomore season
• 11:52 — Assessment of Fever’s roster construction and missed opportunities
• 13:53 — Roster-building philosophy for 2026 and ramifications of 2025
• 14:36 — Clark-Boston pairing takeaways and learning points
• 17:21 — Injury epidemic: Indiana Fever and league-wide challenges
• 18:17 — Playoff preview: Fever’s slim chances without Clark
• 19:16 — League growth, viewership statistics, business impact of Clark’s absence
• 21:16 — Regular season ratings versus playoff potential, possible outcomes
• 23:33 — Will Clark play anywhere before 2026? (Unrivaled league speculation)
• 24:17 — Physicality concerns: Unrivaled league and Clark’s return timeline
• 25:00 — Final reflections, fan disappointment, and what’s next

Final Thoughts

The episode captures the gravity and disappointment of Caitlin Clark’s injury-shortened second professional year, while contextualizing both the Fever’s and WNBA’s ongoing growth and the challenges of maximizing star-driven momentum. Merchant and Pickman underscore the need for patience and perspective, drawing on basketball history, but also lamenting a lost opportunity for casual and die-hard fans alike.

[Summary compiled based on the hosts' conversation. Intros, ads, and promotional content are excluded.]