With Caitlin Clark still out with an injury, and other players on the roster getting banged up, the Indiana Fever have added a guard to help.
Indiana signed Aari McDonald Monday via an emergency hardship exception. The exception allows any WNBA team to sign a player immediately if it has less than 10 game-eligible players available at any time during the season.
The signing comes as Clark remains sidelined due to a left quadriceps strain that was announced following the loss to the New York Liberty on May 25. The 2024 WNBA rookie of the year will miss at least two weeks with her first possible game back on June 10 at the Atlanta Dream.
Clark isn’t the only injured player the Fever have. Sophie Cunningham and Sydney Colson were injured in the team’s loss to Connecticut Sun on Friday, leaving Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull as the only healthy point guards for Indiana, paving the way for the Fever to sign McDonald.
“When I got the call I was very excited, very blessed,’ McDonald said Monday. ‘It’s a humbling experience to join a team like the Fever, and I’m excited, ready to compete and just win.”
Indiana is 2-4 on the season and is on a three-game losing streak.
What to know about Aari McDonald
McDonald burst onto the scene as a member of the Arizona Wildcats after starting her college career at Washington. She had a memorable senior season in Tucson as she was named Pac-12 player of the year and led Arizona to its first Final Four appearance in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats advanced to the national championship and lost by one-point to Stanford.
She was drafted third overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream and was named to the WNBA All-Rookie Team in her first season. McDonald played three seasons in Atlanta before she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks prior to the 2024 season. She played in 26 games for Los Angeles and was released by the team before the start of the 2025 season.
In four years in the league, McDonald has averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 assists and 2 rebounds per game.
When do the Indiana Fever play next?
The Indiana Fever host the Washington Mystics on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The game will be televised on NBA TV and can be streamed on WNBA League Pass.
