Caitlin Clark suffered another brutal attack on the court Wednesday night when a 235-pound rival nearly smacked her in the head.
It comes amid increased concerns for the Indiana Fever rookie’s safety following a spate of incidents involving Chicago Sky players Angel Reese and Chennedy Carter.
Some figures, including Bill Maher and Clay Travis, have even claimed that Clark – who is at the forefront of the WNBA‘s unprecedented skyrocketing popularity – is being targeted because she’s white and straight.
The first overall draft pick led the the Fever to their third consecutive victory when they beat the Washington Mystic 88-81, however a seemingly obvious foul that would have landed Clark on the free throw line was missed by the refs.
The 22-year-old, who finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and four steals, was about to attempt a layup when the Mystic’s 6ft5in center Stefanie Dolson knocked the ball out of her hands.
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Caitlin Clark was attempting a layup when Stefanie Dolson knocked the ball out of her hands
Watch moment Mystics center Dolson smacks Caitlin Clark’s arm
‘How is this not a foul for Caitlin Clark???’ one fan captioned a clip of the incident on X.
‘Look at this #wnba your officiating is a joke,’ another chimed in.
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‘As a new watcher of the @WNBA it seems they have a severe refereeing problem. I think even @WWE refs would have caught this one,’ a third viewer quipped.
‘Badly missed call by wnba officials; this happens too often, to many players,’ another wrote, while someone else echoed the sentiment, ‘Officiating in wnba is terrible, actually it sucks.’
Clark and the Fever were hit hard by critics after the team lost its first five games of the season, however the Iowa alum slammed those demanding ‘instant satisfaction’ from her.
‘No one came in here and said we were going to be WNBA Champions from day No 1 in our locker room,’ Clark said after the game Wednesday.
‘That was never our goal. Our goal was to get back to the playoffs and we’re fighting for that every single night. This is the first time we’ve won four home games in a row since 2015,’ she added.
‘You have to have perspective on things, and that goes for life too. Like have perspective on life. And there just needs to be solid perspective on what this team can accomplish.’
It’s been a tough rookie season for the former college superstar, who’s been the victim of particularly rough treatment from other players in the league.
Most recently, her longtime rival Angel Reese committed a flagrant foul against her during the Fever’s last meeting with the Chicago Sky.
Reese missed a block and smacked Clark on the head while she was jumping for the basket. Although it was an obvious foul, the LSU alum later threw shade at Clark, claiming the Fever received a ‘special whistle.’
It came a couple of weeks after Reese’s Sky teammate, Chennedy Carter, brutally hip-checked Clark.
Using her own bodyweight, Carter knocked the rookie to the ground as she stood waiting for the inbound during the third quarter.
The Chicago player seemingly yelling ‘you b***h’ at the 22-year-old, and remarkably managed to escape with a personal foul, which was later upgraded to a flagrant-1 violation.
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WNBA fans weren’t happy with officials who failed to call a seemingly obvious foul
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Clark finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists during the Fever’s 88-81 win
Clark’s fierce rivalry with Reese, and her teammates by proxy, has propelled WNBA viewership to never-before-seen heights.
The Fever’s 91-83 victory over the Sky on Sunday was the league’s most-watched game in more than two decades.
The highly-anticipated matchup averaged 2.25 million viewers, a 225% increase over most regular season games last season.
Viewership peaked at 3 million households, making the showdown the most highly-viewed game in 23 years.
The skyrocketing popularity of the sport, most of which has come on the back of Clark’s rising star, is leading some to use her name to to spread racism and misogyny.
Connecticut Sun player DiJonai Carrington is among those who have called out Clark for her silence in a ‘culture war.’
‘Dawg. How one can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of them all is nuts. We all see the s***. We all have a platform. We all have a voice & they all hold weight. Silence is a luxury,’ she tweeted earlier this month.
However, Clark pushed back on that narrative.
‘People should not be using my name for those agendas. It’s disappointing. It’s not acceptable,’ Clark said.
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CAITLIN CLARK CAN’T STOP BEATING ANGEL REESE IN WNBA
Caitlin Clark Can’t Stop Beating Angel Reese In WNBA
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Caitlin Clark Gets Her Revenge On Angel Reese Again
Rivalries in sports are what make them so great. This extends to the players, coaches, organizations, and fans. They keep narratives alive and drive all sorts of drama up from out of nowhere. We have seen over the years what a strong rivalry can do for the viewership of a sport and the WNBA is finally starting to reap some of the benefits from this.
With the rise in popularity in recent years, the W has added much more talent to the league. And now with the addition of the 2024 WNBA Draft class, the interest in the sport has grown to even higher levels. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese headline the star power from this year’s rookie class, each giving their own twist on what the term means.
The two were somewhat rivals in college dating back to the 2023 NCAA Tournament Championship game when Reese’s LSU Tigers defeated Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes. But the signature moment came from Reese hitting Clark with her immortal “You can’t see me” hand gesture toward the end of the game. This sparked all sorts of storylines and narratives despite the two actually being collegial off the court.
However, the two faced off against one another for the first time as professionals on Saturday, helping to re-spark their rivalry on the court. It was a highly-anticipated match that saw the Fever come out on top at home. This was a signature moment for the two players, and they have single-handedly helped grow the viewership of the WNBA even more so.
Indiana held a slight lead for most of the second half, shutting down any runs that the Sky were trying to make. Indiana played sound team basketball down the stretch, which was the difference in the game. Clark now has gotten her revenge on Reese at the WNBA level and has beaten her in the last two matchups. Iowa took down LSU in the Elite Eight this past NCAA Tournament.In the game, Clark took a big hit from Chennedy Carter that knocked her to the ground. These moments seem to come often for Clark as she learns how to be in the WNBA.
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CAITLIN CLARK SENDS CANDID MESSAGE ON ANGEL REESE AFTER FLAGRANT FOUL, WARNS BEFORE SUNDAY’S MATCH
Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky reacts after fouling Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have represented perhaps the staunchest personal rivalry across all levels of women’s basketball over the past three years — one that is likely to remain as powerful as it is polarizing throughout their WNBA careers.
The latest chapter in that rivalry came on Sunday, June 16, when Clark’s Indiana Fever hosted Reese’s Chicago Sky. The Fever came away with an 8-point victory, the team’s second win in a row and third in the last four games. However, the top headline coming out of the evening didn’t have anything to do with the scoreboard. Instead, it concerned a hard foul Reese committed on Clark, which the referees later upgraded to a flagrant 1.
Clark took to the podium following the victory, where reporters inquired about the foul as well as her rivalry with Reese.
I think it’s just the emotion and passion that we play with, I think people love to see that. And I think that’s maybe not something that was always appreciated in women’s sports, and it should be. I think that’s what makes it fun. We’re competitors. That’s the way the game should be. It’s gonna get a little feisty, it’s gonna get physical, but at the end of the day both teams are just trying to win.
I think what [Reese has] done with her platform has been absolutely incredible. She has an entire fanbase that has supported her. What she did at Maryland and then LSU, like obviously I’ve played her for a very long time and she’s been a tremendous player and it’s been fun getting to compete again. I think it’s been really good for the game.
Angel Reese Sounds Off on Refereeing Following Flagrant 1 Call
GettyAngel Reese of the Chicago Sky on the court during a WNBA game in June 2024.
Reese had thoughts of her own following the game, during which she asserted that the foul was a basketball play and wasn’t intentional.
“It was a basketball play,” Reese said. “I can’t control the refs. They affected the game obviously a lot tonight. I’m always going for the ball. Y’all are going to play that clip 20 times before Monday, so.”
The foul came late in the third quarter as Clark drove to the basket. Reese pursued her from behind and took a swipe as Clark went up for a layup. Reese missed the ball and made significant contact with Clark’s head.
Referees initially ruled the play a common foul, later upgrading it to a flagrant 1 upon review.
The decision to bump the call to a flagrant 1 means the officials deemed the contact unnecessary. The league defines a flagrant 2 as “excessive” contact that implies intent.
Caitlin Clark Coming Into Her Own as WNBA Star
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever.
Somewhat lost in the commotion around the foul and the postgame comments was Clark’s play in the win.
Clark scored an efficient 23 points on 7-of-11 from the field, including 3-of-7 from behind the 3-point line and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. She added 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Reese also played well in the contest, dropping 11 points and hauling in 13 rebounds to go along with 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
The Fever won the game by a final score of 91-83 and moved to 5-10 on the season, while the loss dropped the Sky to a record of 4-9.
