Fever guard Caitlin Clark named All-WNBA First Team after first-round playoff exit
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The gist
Fever guard Caitlin Clark made the 2026 All-WNBA First Team and won AP Comeback Player of the Year.
Her offseason now turns on a front-office shakeup and teammate Kelsey Mitchell's free agency.
Background
Caitlin Clark is an Indiana Fever guard, the 2024 Rookie of the Year, a three-time All-Star and now a 2026 All-WNBA First Team pick and the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year. Her Fever team lost in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Playoffs to the Las Vegas Aces, then the front office changed: team president Kelly Krauskopf stepped down and general manager Amber Cox was fired. Clark averaged a career-high 22.3 points and 8.3 assists in 40 of Indiana's 44 games as the Fever won a club-record 28 games.
How it unfolded
- Sep 27, 2026The Las Vegas Aces beat the Indiana Fever 102-85 in Game One of the first round of the 2026 WNBA Playoffs in Las Vegas.
- Oct 1, 2026The Aces won Game Three 94-83 to take the series two games to one; Clark shot 6-of-18 and finished with 18 points, four assists and three three-pointers.
- Oct 23, 2026Clark posted an Instagram message calling 2026 "a season of being healthy and doing what I love" and saying "now it's back to work." Kelsey Mitchell replied "da one" with flower and heart emojis.
- Oct 23, 2026Fever president Kelly Krauskopf stepped down and the organization fired general manager Amber Cox.
- Oct 24, 2026Clark and Kelsey Mitchell were named to the 2026 All-WNBA First Team, the first Fever duo selected in the same year; Clark was also named WNBA Comeback Player of the Year by the Associated Press.
- date unknownESPN released its list of the 30 greatest players in WNBA history; Clark was left off, appearing on five of 23 ballots.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- ESPN senior WNBA writer Michael Voepel wrote that Clark and Angel Reese "will need more time to build their credentials, but from what we've seen so far, both project to be among the league's all-time best."
- Party
- Clark said "no matter what, I'm going to be" with the Fever, that her focus is on winning, and that she knows what she deserves and is worth but sometimes has to make sacrifices.
- Support
- Clark said of Mitchell: "She knows how much I love her. There's nobody I'd want to share a backcourt with other than her."
Still unverified
There is "no way of knowing if Clark was informed of Krauskopf's decision ahead of time," per Yahoo Sports. Mitchell has signaled she plans to be "selfish" as she weighs free agency, and her future with the franchise "remains an open question."