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WNBA star Caitlin Clark opens up about ‘mental challenge’ brought on by string of injuries

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Caitlin Clark was a late scratch on Wednesday when the Indiana Fever hosted the Portland Fire, marking her first missed game of the season.

Indiana went on to beat the Fire 90-73, but Clark’s absence raised concerns about her availability for Friday’s matchup against the Golden State Valkyries. But those concerns proved short-lived, as Clark returned to the starting lineup and scored a team-leading 22 points to help lift Indiana to a third consecutive win.

Clark admitted that the recovery process has tested her mentally as much as it has physically.

“I think, at the end of the day, it’s me and my confidence,” she told reporters Friday. “Coming back from injury and having however many soft tissue injuries [in 2025] is a real mental challenge.”

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Clark’s promising start to her WNBA career was interrupted by injuries in 2025. After appearing in 40 games and winning Rookie of the Year in 2024, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer was limited to just 13 appearances last season due to a groin strain and ankle bone bruise.

Clark added that her confidence can still fluctuate at times, particularly as she works through the earlier part of the season. “These are the best players in the world, and if I don’t feel 100% confident in my body on Game 5 of the year, I don’t know if that’s really worth it in that scenario,” she said.

Clark logged 32 minutes in Friday’s win over Golden State, adding nine assists to her stat line to finish just shy of a double-double.

She also acknowledged the difference in physical demands compared with offseason competition.

“Yes, I played USA Basketball [this offseason], but I didn’t play 32 minutes, super physical,” Clark said postgame. “That’s the difference for me right now, but I feel great. I think a lot of the times, it’s for me the next day, understanding how my body feels and understanding that a little bit better. Obviously, your adrenaline is pumping, you don’t always understand right after the game. … Overall, I feel good. It’s just continuing to take care of my body.”

The Fever and Valkyries will switch venues when they meet again Thursday in San Francisco.

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Clark said she is still learning to give herself grace while navigating the mental side of returning from injury.

“I think there’s moments where maybe I get in my head a little bit, and that’s understandable,” she said. “I need to have a little grace with myself. I need people to give me a little bit of grace too. When you go through so many things, it becomes a little bit traumatizing too.”

Clark said she does not expect the back soreness to become a long-term concern, adding that she is “doing everything I can to put myself in the best position I can recovery-wise … and to play the next game.”

Off-the-court, Clark unveiled the cover art of her upcoming children’s picture book, “EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams.”

The book, which is scheduled for release in November, draws from Clark’s life — one she said is “like few others.”

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USMNT roster takes shape under Mauricio Pochettino as US prepares to host World Cup: reports

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The United States — one of the World Cup’s three host nations — has reportedly finalized its 26-player roster for this summer’s highly anticipated tournament.

Although U.S. Soccer is not expected to formally announce the roster until after Memorial Day, reports citing sources say Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, Turner and Sebastian Berhalter are among the expected selections. Sebastian is the son of former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter. Aaronson suited up for Team USA during the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Sources also told The Athletic that Gio Reyna is expected to be included on the roster for Mauricio Pochettino’s first World Cup run as USMNT manager.

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Since being sent home from the 2022 World Cup over what were described as behavioral issues, Reyna has remained one of the more polarizing figures in the U.S. player pool despite his talent. The 23-year-old logged a total of 509 minutes for Borussia Mönchengladbach this season.

As questions about Reyna’s future with the national team continued to swirl, the son of former U.S. star Claudio Reyna recently highlighted the special chance to play on the international stage.

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“I’m just hoping and waiting for the call-up, it would be an honor,” Reyna said. “The national team means a lot to me. … I’d love to be there, have an impact on the team. It would be a dream to represent my country at the World Cup.”

Roster cutdowns inevitably bring tough decisions, and reports indicate Real Salt Lake standout Diego Luna did not make the final World Cup squad. Luna developed into a key member of the USMNT’s rotation in 2025.

Luna has scored four goals in 18 matches for the national team, adding to the 22 goals he has recorded over the past three seasons with Real Salt Lake.

Zavier Gozo, who plays in the MLS for Real Salt Lake, was also told he would not compete on the national team this summer.

The USMNT begins its World Cup campaign June 12 against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

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Jemele Hill tries using the race card to defend Abdul Carter for criticizing Jaxson Dart and Trump

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One would be hard-pressed to find a more intellectually lazy response to the Jaxson Dart-President Trump-Abdul Carter “controversy” than the one former television host Jemele Hill just offered.

First, the background:

Dart, the New York Giants’ starting quarterback, introduced President Donald Trump before a speech in Suffern, New York, on Friday.

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“Big Blue Nation, it’s a pleasure to be here. I got to start this off with a ‘Go Big Blue,’” Dart said.

“What an honor, what a privilege it is to be here, and without further ado, I’m grateful, I’m honored, I’m pleased to introduce the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America, President Donald J. Trump.”

Dart’s teammate, Abdul Carter, reposted the video and appeared to criticize the introduction.

“Thought this s—t was AI, what we doing man,” Carter wrote.

Any honest observer can see the situation for what it is: A player introduced the president at an event in the city where he plays, and one of his teammates publicly criticized him for it.

Yet Jemele Hill somehow turned the episode into something else entirely.

On Saturday, Hill defended Carter after former Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes explained why publicly targeting a teammate is frowned upon inside an NFL locker room.

“The locker room is a sacred place because it brings together everyone from all walks of life and beliefs for one common goal,” Tynes posted on X. “Calling a teammate out publicly for his political views and to get attention is nasty work.”

Hill responded by framing Tynes’ comment as an attempt to silence Carter.

“So Jaxson Dart gets to publicly express his political beliefs, but Abdul Carter doesn’t? If this is about locker room sanctity and leadership, is it a good idea for the face of the franchise to attend a political rally for a president that is considered to be hugely divisive?” Hill asked.

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Of course, Hill then worked the race card into her argument:

“Let’s not do that thing where we’re trying to pretend this isn’t what it looks like,” Hill added. “Abdul Carter is a black man and a Muslim and given the things that Trump has said about/done when it comes to both groups, it’s fair and also not surprising that he has a problem with it.”

Uh, what?

First, describing this as two teammates merely “expressing political beliefs” is not accurate.

Dart did not make a political statement. He introduced the sitting President of the United States at an event. He didn’t endorse Trump or advocate for legislation. His actions were neither political nor partisan, but patriotic. There’s a difference.

By Hill’s logic, every athlete who shook hands with Barack Obama at the NBA All-Star Game in February also made a political declaration. Note: She had no issue with that.

More importantly, the criticism of Carter has little to do with his apparent dislike of Trump. As Tynes noted, the issue is that Carter chose to embarrass a teammate publicly rather than handle the matter privately.

WNBA GRAPHIC OMITTING CAITLIN CLARK SHOWS IDENTITY POLITICS STILL COME FIRST

He could have texted Dart. Called him. Spoken to him face-to-face. Instead, he posted about it on social media, creating an avoidable distraction for the Giants heading into offseason activities and forcing the organization to deal with internal division over a holiday weekend.

Hill should understand that distinction better than most. She has worked at several major media companies. If employee X appears alongside a political figure, employee Y does not suddenly receive a license to condemn that colleague online.

Of course, Hill’s views of employees X and Y would likely depend entirely on their skin colors and political affiliations.

That brings us to her second argument.

Hill tried to justify Carter’s behavior by emphasizing that he is black and Muslim, two groups she claims Trump has targeted through his rhetoric and policies.

At this point, you likely wonder what exactly Trump has done or said negatively toward Black people and Muslims. We wondered the same thing and asked Hill that question on X. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t bother to explain.

Take skin color and politics out of it. Jaxson Dart did nothing wrong. He introduced the president on his own time. He didn’t make a political statement on the field, as Colin Kaepernick did. He didn’t spread incendiary propaganda on social media, as other NFL players have. He simply welcomed the president onto a stage.

For all we know, Dart would have done the same if a Democrat were in office.

It was Abdul Carter who allowed his political beliefs to influence his decision-making. He is the one who turned this into a problem for the team.

As OutKick founder Clay Travis pointed out, the hypocrisy surrounding the outrage is also amusing.

“In the NFL no one Tweets if you beat a woman, but don’t you DARE speak at an event when you’re invited by the president of the United States,” Travis wrote.

Indeed.

No one in the NFL tweets about the players who commit violent crimes or are arrested for reckless driving incidents, either.

Finally, Hill and Carter may want to direct some of that outrage toward another figure closely tied to the Giants organization.

Carter has openly described Giants legend Lawrence Taylor as his idol. He even requested Taylor’s retired number after being drafted. What Carter may not realize is that Taylor endorsed Trump in 2024 and now serves on Trump’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.

Awkward, no?

But seriously, how great was Jemele Hill defaulting to race once her original argument fell apart? It seems to happen every time she engages in a viral debate.

Beyond her racial idolatry, Hill has nothing of substance to add to the conversation. We saw that again, this time in her defense of Abdul Carter.

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Feds subpoena Hasan Piker, Medea Benjamin over Cuba trips

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Hasan Piker and CodePink cofounder Medea Benjamin face Treasury subpoenas in a federal probe into whether activists violated U.S. Cuba sanctions.
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