Caitlin Clark‘s return to competitive basketball will come in Team USA colors.The Indiana Fever superstar lit up the WNBA during her rookie season, taking home the Rookie of the Year award after averaging 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 assists.Clark will soon make her senior debut for the USA national teamGettyBut her sophomore campaign was riddled with injury, and she hasn’t played a competitive game of basketball in over eight months. The former Iowa Hawkeyes sensation took to the court just 13 times in the 2025 season before being shut down by the Fever.After completing many a side quest during her rehab, including participating in the LPGA’s ANNIKA Pro-Am golf tournament and making her broadcasting debut for NBC Sports’ new NBA studio show, Basketball Night in America, Clark is finally healthy and ready to return to action. Named as part of the 12-player roster for the upcoming FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifiers, Clark is set to make her long-awaited senior debut for the USA National Team.“It’s definitely been a while since I played a game. I played in the camp we had in December, and then doing everything I can to simulate as much live play in training and pickup and things like that,” Clark told reporters on a Zoom call on Saturday“But nothing will quite emulate this type of environment. So, I think it’ll probably take me a second to knock a little bit of the rust off. “I’ll probably be a little bit nervous which I usually don’t get. But that probably just will come from that I haven’t really played basketball in a while. “So I’m sure after the first minute of running around on the court, I’ll be just fine. But more than anything, just really excited.“I know how much work and how much time I’ve put in to make sure my body’s as healthy as it can be and to get back, not only to a point where I feel like myself, but I feel like I’m even better than where I was at the beginning of last season. “I started off this season really well before I was hurt and tried to play through being hurt. So, more than anything, excited to be out there, be surrounded by a lot of really good players and, do whatever I can to help us win.Clark spoke to reporters on Saturday ahead of her senior debut for Team USATeam USA BasketballClark looked close to tears after suffering an injury during the 2025 seasonGettyThe 24-year-old admits that she is feeling excited about pulling on the jersey with ‘USA’ branded across her chest for the very first time in her senior career – having come up through the junior ranks.“Getting to play in just this World Cup qualifier, obviously is a huge honor within itself, and I know getting to put on the jersey will be super special,” Clark added.“These are the teams I watched growing up. My favorite players played on these teams, so everybody knows what an honor it is to wear USA across your chest.”For Clark the goal is couldn’t be clearer – to make it onto Team USA’s Olympic team for LA 28 after being snubbed for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. To have the opportunity to be in this environment and learn from veterans who have been part of gold medal-winning teams and experienced FIBA World Cup glory before is something that Clark is relishing. “Obviously there’s quite a few more steps to reaching the Olympics and you have a lot until we get to that point, but that’s certainly my goal, and the World Cup before that,” the two-time All-Star said. Clark and Reese will play on the same team for the very first time in a competitive settingGettyClark will now share the court with some of the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal-winning rosterGetty“But there’s still a lot for me to learn. There’s a lot of really great older players here that have won gold medals that I can learn from and be surrounded by. Joining Clark as debutants are reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, Kiki Iriafen, and long-time on-court rival, Angel Reese.They join esteemed veterans that include 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalists Chelsea Gray, Kahleah Copper, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum. The FIBA World Cup qualifiers will also mark the first time that women’s basketball fans will get to see Clark and Reese suit up for the same team in a competitive game, having shared the court together on one previous occasion at the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game.“I think that’s the fun part about USA too. There’s multiple people that have done this before and you can learn from them. “So, excited for that journey as well and I think, people that are making their debut, whether it’s me, Paige [Bueckers], Angel [Reese], Kiki [Iriafen], or whoever else it is, whether in this event or another event, would probably say the same as well.”Looking ahead to the future with CBA negotiations ongoingMuch of the discourse around the WNBA of late has been centered around the ongoing negotiations of the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). WNBA stars have been vocal in their pursuit for a fair CBAGettyWith the 2026 regular season now just mere months away, still no resolution has been agreed upon between the WNBA and the Players’ Association, leading to a $2bn standoff with the upcoming season in real jeopardy of being delayed. Clark, though, has full faith that the WNBPA committee will fight for the players’ demands. “The executive committee, those are the people that, we kind of put our trust in and turn to to represent us as the players. I have open dialect with them,” she said. “I can’t say I’ve been on every single CBA call that’s been open to the players. It just conflicts with everybody’s schedule. That’s impossible when there’s 144 players. You can’t line up a call that is going to work for every single person. “So you have to be very intentional and if you have questions, you can reach out to those people and there’s certainly been people that I’ve reached out to and had the communication with. “So I think you just rely on that and rely on the people that are in those positions, that you trust them and they’re going to do the best representing the entire group.”Fans can expect to see Clark take to the hardwood when the USA takes on Senegal in Puerto Rico on March 11. Fixtures against Puerto Rico on March 13, Italy on March 14, and New Zealand on March 15 follow, before Team USA wrap up their qualifying campaign against Spain on March 17.Should the players and WNBA finally end their standoff the season is due to get underway in May with Fever set to begin their preseason games on April 25 ahead of their Dallas Wings opener on May 9.Stay up to date with the latest from the WNBA across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.