The Indiana Fever and WNBA fans writ large cannot wait to see Caitlin Clark return to the court in 2026.
Though the league's intense collective bargaining negotiations with the players' union are center stage at the moment -- and could even lead to a work stoppage -- Clark's return after an injury-wracked sophomore season could be what the Fever need to reach the WNBA Finals. After all, Indiana came up one game short in 2025, losing to the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces in a five-game semifinal series.
MORE: Caitlin Clark's coach reveals what she 'hates' about Fever star's narratives
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has openly discussed the possibility of a work stoppage, which would dull the WNBA's momentum amid its exponential growth -- much of it attributed to Clark, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft and a two-time All-Star already. Even though Clark played only 13 games during the 2025 season, Cunningham acknowledged an assertion made by her podcast co-host West Wilson that Clark is the Fever's own LeBron James.
"Those types of athletes, they get to come into an organization, they have the green light and they can do whatever they want," Cunningham said Tuesday on Show Me Something. "That is very rare, to get drafted and be able to control the whole system."
Sophie Cunningham saying Caitlin Clark is a generational talent who gets to control the Fever offensive system. Next season is going to be cinema. pic.twitter.com/EIbJIXrd5N
— CaitlinFor3 (@CaitlinForThree) October 15, 2025
When James joined the Cavaliers as the top pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, Cleveland's emergence as a juggernaut soon followed. James led the Cavs to the NBA Finals in 2007, as well as consecutive 60-win seasons between 2008 and 2010 before he joined the Miami Heat in free agency. Of course, James returned to Cleveland in 2014 and led the franchise to four consecutive Finals appearances -- with a historic victory in 2016.
Unfortunately for Clark, she could not control much of the Fever offense from her seat on the sideline as she nursed groin and ankle injuries from July on. But come 2026, the 23-year-old will have the keys to the car again -- and a chance to demonstrate that she will have a once-in-a-lifetime, LeBron-esque impact on the WNBA.
"When you have a generational talent like that, she should have a lot to say (regarding) the system," Cunningham said.
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