Washington Mystics forward Alysha Clark will miss the upcoming season with a right foot injury — a major blow to a Mystics team with championship aspirations.
Mystics coach Mike Thibault announced the news Monday that Clark suffered the injury while playing overseas in France.
Clark, 33, was one of the Mystics’ biggest offseason acquisitions. The team signed the nine-year veteran as a replacement for forward Aerial Powers, who showed hesitancy in re-signing with the Mystics before Washington turned to Clark. One of the league’s best defenders, Clark won two titles with the Seattle Storm and was named to the league’s All-Defensive First Team last season.
The Mystics said in a statement that Clark’s injury will require surgery, adding she is expected to rehab with the team.
“There aren’t any simple words to express how badly we feel for Alysha,” Thibault said. “She was very excited to get started with us this season and now will have to wait a year. Obviously, she was a big piece of our offseason planning and will be sorely missed.
“Throughout her rehab, Alysha will remain an integral part of our leadership group and her mentoring of our younger players will be crucial as we move ahead. We look forward to her coming back healthy and being a factor in our success for several years to come.”
Fortunately for the Mystics, Clark signed a two-year deal, keeping her under contract for 2022. According to the WNBA site Winsidr, Clark’s contract — worth $183,000 per year — made her the team’s second-highest player behind Elena Delle Donne.
Clark averaged a career-high 10 points, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals last season. The 5-foot-11 forward also led the league from beyond the arc, shooting 52.2% from deep.
The Mystics are coming off a down season in which they were heavily impacted by the pandemic. Delle Donne and Tina Charles opted out of playing as Washington finished 9-13 and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
But the team re-signed Charles and added Clark, leaving the Mystics with hopes they could win another championship after last doing so in 2019.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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