Caitlin Clark on first 3-point contest: ‘Just go out there and have fun and shoot it’
Caitlin Clark hasn’t yet practiced shooting a ball off the rack, and she’s not sure if she’s going to have time before the 3-point contest.
- WNBA 3-point contest and skills competition are 8 p.m., Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse (TV: ESPN)
UPDATE: Caitlin Clark left Tuesday’s Fever vs. Sun game late in the fourth quarter after wincing and grabbing the top of her right leg. After the game, coach Stephanie White said, “No update, just felt a little something in her groin, so we’ll get it evaluated and see what happens from there.” The latest injury puts Clark’s participation in Friday’s 3-point contest and Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game in jeopardy.
BOSTON – Caitlin Clark wants to set the record straight: She isn’t afraid of shooting off a rack.
Rumors swirled Clark’s apprehension to shooting off a rack contributed to her not doing the 3-point contest at 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix. But, she says, that was never the case.
All along, she said, she was hoping to have her first 3-point contest in front of her home fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
“I’m shooting off a rack, and I know there was a narrative going around that I didn’t want to do that at one point, which I’m not sure who made that up, but that’s false,” Clark said with a laugh. “Because I am doing it, I was just saving my first 3-point competition to be in my own city.”
The WNBA confirmed Tuesday that Clark will participate in Friday’s 3-point contest. This will be the first 3-point contest Clark has ever participated in, and she will be joined by some firepower: reigning champ Allisha Gray, 2023 champ Sabrina Ionescu, Kelsey Plum and Sonia Citron.
Still, Clark might be going in blind. She said Tuesday she’s never shot off a rack before, and she may not have any time to practice before Friday night.
After all, her schedule is packed this week. The Fever play in Boston on Tuesday night, then play in New York on Wednesday. They’ll fly back to Indianapolis on Wednesday night, but then the All-Star festivities, including attending a crucial meeting between the players’ union and the league, start on Thursday.
Friday morning is practice with her All-Star team, and she’ll have other events sprinkled in throughout the day. Then, the KIA Skills Challenge and Starry 3-point contest are that night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
It could end in disaster for Clark, who hasn’t practiced anything related to timing or moving between the racks. It could also end in an unprecedented victory.
At the end of the day, she said, it’s all in good fun.
“It’s really not that deep or that serious,” Clark said. “Just go out there and have fun and shoot it. It’s just the ball, a hoop and a rack, I guess, and just have fun doing it.”
Chloe Peterson is the Indiana Fever beat reporter for IndyStar. Reach her at capeterson@gannett.com or follow her on X at @chloepeterson67. Get IndyStar’s Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Caitlin Clark Fever newsletter.
