Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides finally came to the defense of Caitlin Clark, the former Iowa record-setting sensation and No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The physical play against Clark reached a new level on Saturday in a 71-70 win against the Chicago Sky with a cheap shot foul away from the ball, which prompted a strong response from Sides after the game.
“This is unacceptable [WNBA],” Sides posted on social media. “When will the consistent complaints be heard?!? Something has to be done.”
With less than 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Sky guard Chennedy Carter hit a deep 2-point jumper. As the Fever attempted to inbound the ball to Clark, Carter shoulder-checked her, knocking Clark to the floor during a dead ball play. Carter also appeared to direct an expletive at Clark before delivering the blow.
Sides was less critical of the officiating and lack of foul calls for the physical play on Clark this past week in a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks and indirectly called out the women’s basketball superstar postgame for her on-floor behavior after getting a technical foul.
Sides took a slightly different approach on Saturday and revealed the Indiana Fever have submitted certain plays to the WNBA for review.
“We’re just going to keep sending these possessions to the league, and these plays, and hopefully they’ll start, you know, taking a better look at some of the things that we see happening, or we think is happening,” Sides said. “Just more happy that Caitlin handled it the way she did. You know, it’s tough to keep getting hammered the way she does and to not get rewarded with free throws or foul calls. She’s continued to fight through that. Appreciate that from her. Really, really proud of her for doing that.”
Clark addressed the hit during an interview on the ESPN broadcast, saying “That’s just not a basketball play.”
Carter refused to answer questions about the incident postgame. Former LSU star Angel Reese appeared to cheer from the Chicago bench when Clark was knocked to the floor. The head-to-head battle between Clark and Reese was one of the most anticipated games of the WNBA season, pairing two of the top picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Clark broke numerous records during her four-year college career at Iowa where she became a household name. Women’s college basketball reached incredible new heights in popularity this past season with star players, a list headlined by Clark. Iowa drew record TV ratings for the Elite Eight, Final Four and national championship games.
