UPDATE: Indiana Fever GM Lin Dunn has weighed in on Saturday’s incident involving her player Caitlin Clark and how Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter fouled the popular phenom.
“There’s a difference between tough defense and unnecessary— targeting actions! It needs to stop!” Dunn wrote on X. “The league needs to “cleanup” the crap! That’s NOT who this league is!!”
Dunn’s tweet accompanied video from the post-game press conference, when Fever coach Christie Sides addressed how Clark has been treated during her first season with the WNBA. On Saturday, cameras caught Sky’s Carter shoulder check Clark, who was waiting for an inbounds pass. A common foul was called.
“We’re just going to keep sending these possessions to the league and these plays,” Sides told reporters. “Hopefully they’ll start taking a better look at some of the things we see happening. It’s tough, to keep getting hammered when she does, and to not get rewarded with free throws. She has considered to fight through that.”
She and the Indiana Fever won Saturday, taking a 71-70 thriller over the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. But the story after the Fever’s first home win centered on a particular foul against Clark.
After Chennedy Carter made a basket for the Sky with 15.1 seconds left in the third quarter, she went to defend Clark, who was looking for an inbound pass.
Before Clark could take the inbounds pass, she was knocked down to the floor by a shoulder check from Carter, who was immediately whistled for a foul.
Clark was interviewed by ESPN after the quarter ended and was asked about a conversation she had with the referees.
“Yeah, that’s just not a basketball play,” Clark said. “But you know, I’ve gotta play through it, that’s what basketball is about at this level. I thought we’ve been really physical, we’ve missed some bunnies around the rim, so hopefully those fall in the fourth.”
Clark finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Carter finished with a game-high 19 points, going 8-for-12 from the field.
Carter refused to answer questions about the foul and Clark after the game.
“I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,” she told reporters.
This isn’t the first time Clark has received punishment. After a Thursday game against Seattle, she told reporters, “I feel like I’m getting hammered, I don’t know.”
Later, a wider angle shot of the incident showed Angel Reese, a bitter college rival of Clark while at LSU, jumping off the bench and applauding the hard foul by her teammate.