Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark announced on Thursday that her injury-riddled 2025 WNBA season had come to an end after massive speculation around her return. The Fever had ruled her out indefinitely and never provided a concrete timeline. Many expected her to be back in the final stretch of the season, with Friday's contest against the Chicago Sky as a potential comeback game.However, Clark ended all the speculation with an emotional message for her and the Fever fans on Instagram, saying:"I had hoped to share a better update, but I will not be returning to play this season. I spent hours in the gym every day with the singular goal of getting back out there, disappointed isn’t a big enough word to describe how I am feeling ..."The basketball world showered love on the Fever superstar after the disheartening update. NBA and Lakers superstar LeBron James, her boyfriend Connor McCaffery, Sabrina Ionescu and several others posted heartfelt reactions for Caitlin Clark."Minor setback for a MAJOR COMEBACK!! Rest up, get healthy and be YOU!" James wrote."❤️❤️❤️," McCaffery said."You got this🙌" Ionescu added."2026 going to be the best season yet 🥳," Lexie Hull wrote. "Love you lots ❤️Tyrese Haliburton, his girlfriend Jade Jones, Fever teammates Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell also commented. You may check their messages under this post: View this post on Instagram Instagram PostCaitlin Clark's 2025 WNBA season couldn't be worse Caitlin Clark had a forgettable 2025 WNBA season relative to the expectations from her and the Indiana Fever. After helping Indiana end its playoff drought in her rookie year, the Fever added a bunch of veterans around Clark and signed Stephanie White as their next coach.The moves elevated the hope among fans that Clark might win her first-ever championship at the pro level. However, Clark's inefficient start and the growing pains of a revamped team held the Fever back. They didn't look convincing coming out of the gates, and shortly after, Clark's injury issues began.Amid that turmoil, the Fever also saw one of their marquee free agent signings, DeWanna Bonner, demand her departure from the team. The Fever were in a tilt ever since and barring a brief stretch after the All-Star break, they've been a borderline playoff team.As Caitlin Clark remained out with her groin injury setback from July, the Fever saw Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson and Chloe Bibby all suffer season-ending injuries. Even if Clark returned, it would've likely been in vain, considering the team's lack of depth and her struggles this year.Ending her season this way was probably the best choice Clark and the Fever made.