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Indiana Fever star rookie Caitlin Clark will be absent from this year’s 3-point contest at WNBA All-Star weekend, as the star looks to recover before the second half of the season.
When explaining why she chose not to participate, Clark said it’s as simple as needing a break.
“Honestly, I think it’s … rest,” Clark told reporters. “I’ve been playing basketball for a year straight. It’s not an easy thing to just show up to and shoot off a rack. It’s not something I’ve ever done before. It’s not something that I’ve had a lot of time to practice. I’ve been focusing on helping my team win games.”
Chloe Peterson @chloepeterson67
When it comes to not participating in the 3-point contest, Caitlin Clark says it’s to prioritize rest through the busy weekend: pic.twitter.com/XiHD82UKHD
Clark also said that fans can expect her to participate in the event eventually and that this year’s participants bring enough excitement without her.
“I think there’s going to be plenty of opportunities for me to do that at some point,” Clark said. “But at the same time, the field of shooters that we have in the competition are really good. They’re all near 40 percent shooters, so I’m excited for them, I’ll be there supporting them and it will be fun.”
This year’s 3-point contest will feature the Washington Mystics’ Stefanie Dolson, Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray, New York Liberty’s Marina Mabrey and Minnesota Lynx’s Kayla McBride.
It will be somewhat disappointing to see one of the WNBA’s best shooters absent from the event, but it won’t be surprising if Clark decides to participate next year.
And fans will still have the chance to see Clark in action during All-Star Weekend as she will compete for Team WNBA as it faces the United States Women’s National Team.
