Report: Caitlin Clark’s Suspension for Referee Disrespect Stirs Controversy; Fever Star Reveals Why She’s Grateful
During Sunday’s game against the Seattle Storm, Caitlin Clark’s frustration boiled over, leading a referee to not only call a foul but also deem her reaction as disrespectful to the game.
Despite the Indiana Fever maintaining a lead in the third quarter, Clark had trouble finding her rhythm with her shots. To make matters worse, a simple act of venting her frustration resulted in referee Tyler Ricks giving the rookie a technical foul, leaving fans puzzled.
Despite this, the Fever secured a 92-75 victory at home. When asked about the incident after the game, Clark offered a seemingly sarcastic response.
“I got a technical for basically being mad at myself because I missed a three,” Clark said. “Then I hit the backboard, and he told me it was disrespectful to the game of basketball.”
CC on her tech: “[The ref] told me it was disrespectful to the game of basketball… reminded me of the technical I got in college where I said dammit, where it’s like a personal frustration…. but I think he fired me up to continue to play a lot harder… so I want to thank him.” pic.twitter.com/gkDMoXcI0X
— Matthew Byrne (@MatthewByrne1) August 18, 2024
With 7:14 left in the third quarter, Caitlin Clark had only eight points when she attempted a 29-foot three-point shot that missed and bounced off the backboard. Her frustration was evident as she hit the stanchion with a hard right fist.
Clark’s reaction, driven by her competitive nature, was interpreted negatively by referee Tyler Ricks.
“It reminded me of the technical I got in college when I said ‘damn it,’ which was just personal frustration,” Clark explained. “It had nothing to do with my team, the refereeing, or the other team—it’s just how I am as a competitor.”
Clark also mentioned that the incident motivated her to play harder. “I think he fired me up to continue playing a lot harder,” she said. “We got better after that, so I want to thank him for that.”
Clark noted that once they reached the media timeout around the five-minute mark of the third quarter, things settled down after a chaotic couple of minutes.
They gave Caitlin Clark a tech for this?? pic.twitter.com/MHtsNuDpAm
— WNBA Rookie Watch (@WNBARookieWatch) August 18, 2024
Although Caitlin Clark’s remarks had a touch of sarcasm, they reflected her performance accurately. She found her rhythm later in the game, scoring 23 points with 9-of-19 shooting from the field and 3-of-10 from three-point range. She also grabbed five rebounds and set a new WNBA record for most assists by a rookie. With 223 assists coming into the game, Clark added nine more to reach 232, surpassing the previous record of 225 set by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998.
Clark nearly achieved a triple-double but missed out on at least ten assists due to a missed layup by Mitchell in the first quarter. However, Mitchell redeemed herself with a game-high 27 points, helping the Fever to a 13-15 record for the season.
The Fever have won their last two games and will face the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream on August 24th and 26th, respectively. Indiana currently ranks seventh in the league and third in the Eastern Conference.
Clark acknowledged the need to manage her emotions better but also noted that her passion fuels her performance. “It’s just finding a way to channel that, use that, and I think I did a really good job of that at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter,” she said.
With five technical fouls this season, Clark is two away from an automatic one-game suspension.