The WNBA has hit the brakes on its ongoing regular season to let the 2026 FIBA World Cup take center stage. Some players will compete on one of the biggest stages in women’s basketball, while others will enjoy a well-deserved break. Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark is one of those who will be representing Team USA.
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But as she prepares to make her FIBA senior World Cup debut, she is leaving the WNBA with a historic scoring month. According to an X post by Real App:
“Caitlin Clark just had the highest scoring month by a point guard in WNBA history.”
She averaged 24.4 points per game in August. And here are some more of her stats from August:
- 9.4 APG
- 3.4 RPG
- 41% from 3
There is very little doubt around the fact that Clark is one of the best players in the league. But this month has been absolutely mind-blowing. In the 11 games she played, Clark recorded 25+ points in five and 30+ in two, helping the Fever record seven wins and four losses to place itself among the top five WNBA teams and clinch a playoff berth.
Yet those numbers did more than just help Indiana win games. They also helped Clark become:
- The first player in the league with consecutive games of at least 30 points and 10 assists.
- The first player to record six career games with 30+ points and 10+ assists, which is more than the rest of the WNBA has combined in league history (4).
- The first player in WNBA history to have 800+ points and 300+ assists in a single season.
- The first player to have at least 300 assists and 100 three-pointers made in a single season.
But what really drives Caitlin Clark to keep pushing those limits? Her own words might offer an answer.
“I definitely have some delusion,” she said in a conversation with Sue Bird in August 2025. “All the good players have delusion. That’s just the truth. You have to think you’re better than you actually are at the end of the day. You have to have that confidence about yourself.”
That confidence has clearly translated into one of the most productive stretches of Clark’s young WNBA career.
She has continued to play with the belief that she can take over games, create for her teammates, and keep pushing the boundaries of what is expected from her. But it is worth noting that this season hasn’t been just good for Clark.
The 24-year-old had a slow start and was inconsistent on the floor as the Fever went through a roller-coaster ride. However, that is already in the rearview as she is currently averaging 22.5 PPG and a league-high 8.4 assists per game. So now, she will have to bring that same confidence – or, as she calls it, “delusion” – to the international stage.
Caitlin Clark is set to join Team USA in the upcoming tournament, which will begin on September 4 against China.
This will be her debut at the FIBA senior World Cup, but the most exciting part could be watching the chemistry between Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers, who are widely considered future greats but archrivals.
The three have already shown that they can work together seamlessly during the qualifiers, where the Americans clinched a 5-0 record earlier this year, and Clark even won the MVP award.
Now, all that is left to see is what they can do when the stakes are real, and they have to navigate the tournament without A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum.
Why are Wilson and Plum not participating?
Monday brought an unexpected blow to the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup, with A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum both ruled out of the tournament because of health issues.
Wilson has been dealing with back issues, while Plum had a lower leg injury. That said, the team has already planned things.
The players stepping in for Wilson and Plum are already in Berlin with the squad, getting ready for Friday’s opening group-stage matchup against China.
Team USA will take on China on Sept. 4 before facing Italy on Sept. 6 and Czechia on Sept. 7 in group play. For Caitlin Clark, it is another opportunity to turn her confidence into something even bigger.