SerpApi.Org
Last year, Caitlin Clark’s highly anticipated WNBA three-point contest debut was unexpectedly canceled due to unforeseen injuries that disrupted her season. This year, the Indiana Fever star will be missing out as well.
The WNBA unveiled the field for the 3-point contest on July 21, 2026, and it didn’t take long for fans to notice one blatant exclusion. Clark isn’t on it.
The WNBA announced on Tuesday that Clark will not partake in the three-point contest scheduled for July 24, 2026, during All-Star weekend in Chicago. She was one of several prominent players who turned down invites to the event. According to ESPN‘s Alexa Philippou, Clark declined the invitation, as did Minnesota Lynx’s Kayla McBride, who participated in 2025, and New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu, last year’s champion.
There was no explicit reasoning offered for their decisions. It is also not odd for All-Stars to forgo the solo events preceding the major game. The Fever guard is still scheduled to start in Friday’s All-Star game.
The league and its broadcast partner, ESPN, will suffer greatly as a result of Clark’s absence. The WNBA centered its All-Star weekend shooting event around her, adding a “From the Logo” segment to the competition. Clark is not only the most well-known WNBA player to shoot logo threes, but State Farm has created an entire marketing campaign around her long-distance triples.
Therefore, it’s difficult to see the WNBA’s “From the Logo” shot as anything other than a tribute to its well-known player. It’s probably worse for ESPN than it is for the league. ESPN could virtually guarantee that at least a million people would tune in to watch with Clark playing.
Clark’s decision to sit out comes at a period in which she has faced criticism over officiating. She recently received her sixth technical foul of the season, only 91 seconds into the July 18, 2026, game against the Liberty. The 24-year-old Fever guard became furious after a non-call on Jonquel Jones’ screen set, prompting the technical. It carries a $1,000 fine under WNBA rules.
According to league regulations, a player’s eighth technical foul of the season results in an automatic one-game ban. Hence, Clark is now just two technicals away from that ban, with most of the regular season still going and a suspension possibly imminent.
Despite three players shooting over 40 percent beyond the arc this season, Indiana will not have representation in the WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest this weekend. The WNBA confirmed six participants, including the Golden State Valkyries’ Janelle Salaun, Toronto Tempo’s Marina Mabrey, Atlanta Dream’s Rhyne Howard, Seattle Storm’s Natisha Hiedeman, Portland Fire’s Bridget Carleton, and 2026 No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd.
Caitlin Clark Addresses Chatter About Her Approach As Technicals Pile Up
As Clark approaches a technical foul limit that will result in a one-game suspension, the Fever guard has no intention of changing her on-court style. On July 20, 2026, the three-time All-Star responded to the question with a single word: a big fat “NO.”
Fever Coach Stephanie White told reporters at her post-game press conference on Saturday night that “there have to be conversations” with her star player, Clark. White said, “It’s a long season. Certainly after you get to eight, every two after that (draws a suspension). Making sure that we’re strategic and using our technical fouls.”
At the moment, the Fever is sixth in the league rankings, with a 16-10 record. Indiana is three games ahead of second-place Golden State, with a five-game lead over ninth-place Portland. Losing Clark to a one-game ban may have significant ramifications for her team, especially if she is out later in the season and the playoff race becomes tighter.
