Inside Caitlin Clark’s plans for the WNBA offseason as the Indiana Fever star takes her longest break from basketball since she was 15

After underlining her emergence as one of America’s major sporting stars, Caitlin Clark drew the line under her rookie season on Wednesday by thanking fans on social media for their support in a debut campaign that captivated the country.

Picked first at the WNBA Draft in New York in April by the Indiana Fever, Clark’s arrival drove interest and excitement in the league to a level never seen before.

Clark and the Fever played at multiple sold-out NBA venues while millions more tuned in on television around the country. Fans couldn’t get enough of Clark’s breathless free-scoring performances, combined with her on-court rivalries with Angel Reese and other stars across the division.

The Fever were eventually eliminated by Connecticut Sun in the playoffs last week and the 22-year-old now has time to rest and recover from playing the lead role in an unprecedent year for women’s basketball.

So what comes next for Caitlin Clark? What does her offseason look like?

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Caitlin Clark has finished a blockbuster rookie season in the WNBA with Indiana Fever

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Clark, pictured with her boyfriend Conor McCaffrey, now has plenty of time off to relax

After controversially being left out of the USA Olympic team, Clark headed to Mexico in July on a midseason break in Cabo.

She went away with her boyfriend, Conor McCaffrey, her Fever teammate Lexie Hull and former baseball pitcher Will Matthiessen.

But it was a fleeting break, with Clark needing to get back to Indiana to practice with the WNBA season on pause for a month due to the Paris Games. Now, she can properly get away and switch off.

It can’t be understated how important that is for her. She had played a full college season with Iowa before being drafted and heading straight into the WNBA.

She explained the time off midseason this summer was her first break since her sophomore year. So by that logic, with next year’s season not set to start until May, she has time for a proper rest – her longest since she was 15, as she said.

‘It feels like everybody is watching your every single move, no matter what you’re doing,’ Clark said this week about life in the spotlight. ‘I’ve tried to be the same person off the court.

‘It will be a little bit of an adjustment period for myself. It’s going to be nice, though, getting out of the spotlight. Getting to live my life and do the things that I want to do, get away and relax a little bit.’

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Clark pictured on vacation with some friends back before taking the WNBA by storm

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During the WNBA break for the Olympic Games in Paris, Clark spent some time in Mexico

OFFSEASON BASKETBALL

Angel Reese is playing in the new 3×3 Unrivaled league that is starting up in January. Brittney Griner has also signed up for the event – founded by WNBA stars and USA Olympians Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.

But it seems unlikely that Caitlin Clark is going to get in on the fun.

Before the season-ending loss to Connecticut Sun on Sep. 25, ESPN commentator Ryan Ruocco said he spoke to Clark and that she had no intention of playing in the league.

‘We talked to Caitlin Clark earlier today. She said she almost definitely will not play basketball this offseason. So it is likely we will not see her play again until April,’ Ruocco said.

And while it sounds like Clark plans an extensive break, she stopped short of absolutely confirming that was the case when quizzed about Ruocco’s comments after the Connecticut Sun loss.

‘I was focused on beating the Connecticut Sun, I haven’t thought too far down the line,’ Clark said. ‘I don’t know what I am going to do tomorrow, I don’t know what I am going to do the next day.’

The 2025 WNBA season will likely start in May, meaning Clark will be back with the Fever around April to get set for the new campaign.

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Clark and the Fever made the playoffs this season before losing against Connecticut Sun

GOLF

Whether she plays Unrivaled or overseas, one thing Clark will definitely do is play golf.

In that same answer after the Sun loss, Clark added: ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do the next day – maybe play some golf. That’s what I’m going to do – become a professional golfer.’

Clark has made no secret of her love for golf, long before she took the WNBA by storm. Speaking in 2023 to Golf Digest, she said: ‘That’s what I was looking forward to the most with basketball ending.

‘I still want to be active and do something, so I’m going to go to the golf course. You can clear your mind, do something you really love, and have the peace and quiet of just your friends around or even just yourself. I love being able to escape reality for a little bit.’

COMMERCIALS

For any athlete, especially one of Clark’s popularity, the offseason represents a potentially lucrative time for stars to cash in with off the court ventures.

Clark already has deals with Gatorade and State Farm, as well as a $28million shoe deal with Nike.

But her rookie salary this year with the Fever came in at just over $76,000. When you see the likes of Travis Kelce starring in commercials in the offseason, while earning $14million-a-year from the Kansas City Chiefs, one can understand why Clark would follow suit on a slither of the salary.

Clark clearly isn’t going anywhere. And she’s such a big star already, it will be no surprise to see her regularly appear on television screens even when the season is over.