Why Caitlin Clark's WNBA Scuffle Has Fans in a Fierce Debate (2024)

Caitlin Clark’s WNBA arrival has been a headline-making affair — both on and off the court.

Clark, 22, made her highly anticipated pro debut with the Indiana Fever on May 14, and since then, her fiercely debated status as the face of the league has continued to take some dramatic twists and turns.

Most recently, Clark was forcefully knocked to the ground by Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter during a game between the Sky and Fever on Saturday, June 1, which has spurned conversation and sparked debate about how the WNBA is handling their newest star — and why some members of the league are taking issue with it.

For a breakdown on all the latest WNBA drama, keep reading:

What Happened Between Caitlin Clark and Chennedy Carter?

During the third quarter of Saturday’s game between the Sky and Fever, Carter, 25, appeared to go out of her way to knock down Clark with her back turned.

Carter was assessed a foul on the play, which was upgraded by the WNBA to a Flagrant 1 on Sunday, June 2, for “unnecessary and/or excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent.”

Shortly after the incident, Clark told ESPN, “That’s just not a basketball play.”

“But you know I’ve gotta play through it,” she added. “That’s what basketball is about at this level.”

During her postgame press conference, Clark elaborated on the ordeal.

“I think at this point I know I’m going to take a couple of hard shots a game and that’s what it is,” she said. “I’m trying not to let it bother me and just stay in the game and stay in what’s important because usually it’s the second person that gets caught if you retaliate.”

The Fever beat the Sky 71-70, picking up their second win of the season. Clark finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

Carter came off the bench for the Sky and led all scorers with 19 points.

What Else Has Chennedy Carter Said About Caitlin Clark?

During her postgame press conference, Carter — currently playing in her fourth WNBA season — refused to answer any questions about the controversial moment.

“I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,” Carter said. “I don’t know what she said. I didn’t say anything.”

The following day on Threads, however, it was a different story.

In response to debate on the social media platform about the Clark foul, Carter wrote, “Beside three point shooting what else does she bring to the table man 😂.”

Speaking to reporters after practice on Monday, June 3, Carter said she had “no regrets” about what went down between her and Clark. “I’m going to compete and play 100 percent hard no matter who it is or who we’re playing,” she explained.

She went on to say she didn’t feel like her play crossed any lines. “There’s no line. I’m competing. I’m gonna compete,” she told reporters. “I’ve already let you know, I’m gonna compete. If you’re going to throw punches first, I’m gonna compete. It’s all love. It’s basketball. This happens in the NBA. Actually, I’m focused on [our game against] New York now. I’m not really focused on that play anymore. It happened, OK? It’s just basketball. It just happened. It’s over. I don’t know why we’re dragging [it out].”

How Did Angel Reese React to Chennedy Carter’s Foul on Caitlin Clark?

Reese, a Sky teammate of Carter’s, has a long history with Clark dating back to their college playing days at LSU and Iowa, respectively.

So, after Clark went tumbling, eyes darted to Reese, 22, to see how she would respond in the rivals’ first-ever professional matchup.

Immediately after Carter hit Clark, Reese could be seen jumping off the Sky bench excitedly and clapping her hands.

After the game, Reese refused to talk to the media and was fined $1,000 for making herself unavailable. The team was also fined an additional $5,000 for Reese’s absence.

Two days later, Reese addressed the incident while speaking to reporters after practice and pushed back on the idea that Clark is solely responsible for the recent popularity of women’s basketball.

“It all started from the [2023] national championship game,” she said. “I’ve been dealing with this for two years now. And understanding, like, yeah, negative things have probably been said about me, but honestly, I’ll take that because look where women’s basketball is. People are talking about women’s basketball that you’d never would think would be talking about women’s basketball.”

She added: “People are pulling up to games. We’ve got celebrities coming to games [and] sold-out arenas just because of one single game. And just looking at that, I’ll take that role. I’ll take the bad guy role, and I’ll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates, and I know I’ll go down in history. I’ll look back in 20 years and be like: ‘Yeah, the reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person, it’s because of me too.’ And I want y’all to realize that. Like it’s just not ’cause of one person. A lot of us have done so much for this game. Chennedy has been here before, obviously, but there are so many great players in this league that have deserved this for a really, really long time and luckily, it’s coming now.”

How Have Members of the Fever Organization Responded to Clark’s Treatment?

Fever head coach Christie Sides took to X to air her grievances about the way her star player has been treated.

“This is unacceptable WNBA,” Sides wrote Saturday. “When will the consistent complaints be heard?!? Something has to be done!”

Fever general manager Lin Dunn agreed, writing via X on Saturday, “There’s a difference between tough defense and unnecessary— targeting actions! It needs to stop! The league needs to ‘cleanup’ the crap! That’s NOT who this league is!!”

Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said Carter “got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game.”

“She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate,” Weatherspoon said in a Monday, June 3 statement, “nor is it what we do or who we are.”

Who Else Has Caitlin Clark Had On-Court Beef With?

Clark and the Seattle Storm’s Victoria Vivians were both whistled for technical fouls during their game on Thursday, May 30, when Clark got in Vivians’ face after knocking in a long three-pointer.

After the game, Clark called the incident a dustup between “two competitive people.”

Clark has also addressed some of the controversial officiating she’s received during her early WNBA tenure, which has seen her rack up three technical fouls in her first 11 games of the season.

“I think everybody is physical with me, they get away with things that probably other people don’t get away with,” Clark said after her team’s loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday, May 28. “It’s tough, but that’s just the fact of the matter. This is a very physical game, and you’re going to get pressure, this is professional basketball. It is what it is, honestly.”

She added, “I feel like I’m getting hammered.”