If you aren’t a WNBA fan — or aren’t a big booster of Caitlin Clark — you might not have noticed how the No. 1 draft pick of the Indiana Fever has been getting beaten up on the court without her teammates making sure that it doesn’t happen again.
That appears to be changing.
After a rough foul on Clark in a game Saturday against her team’s biggest rival, the Chicago Sky, Fever teammate Kristy Wallace came to her defense, getting mixed up with the Sky’s Dana Evans.
For context, this was the off-ball foul by Sky guard Chennedy Carter during a June 1 game that started a sociopolitical debate — including why Fever players didn’t come to Clark’s defense:
The league got a bounty on Caitlin Clark pic.twitter.com/aY2qlA2SOb
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) June 1, 2024
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On Saturday, Clark managed to get a solid drive to the basket from the backcourt, but Evans decided to get physical.
This time, however, the star rookie’s teammates came to back her up — especially guard Kristy Wallace.
Caitlin Clark gets tangled up with Dana Evans pic.twitter.com/uD8PPoS546
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 16, 2024
The lack of backup could be attributed to a number of factors.
One of the things that the spotlight has alighted upon now that the WNBA is a major U.S. sports league is the inconsistent officiating, particularly as it relates to marquee players.
Several nasty fouls marred Saturday’s game, including one by Chicago rookie Angel Reese on her rival:
Caitlin Clark is fouled while driving to the basket pic.twitter.com/U9TvoFUoD3
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 16, 2024
But Clark got the ultimate revenge: The Fever ended up winning the game 91-83, thanks in no small part to her late-game 3-pointer.
On the Evans play, one might like the Chicago guard’s competitiveness — but one might also not like the fact that she didn’t even try to go for the ball.
However, unlike other fouls on Indiana’s star rookie, in this case, Clark’s teammates came to her defense posthaste.
Do you watch the WNBA?
Whether this is all good or bad for the league depends on your take on the matter.
Clark is being targeted by the league’s established players. That’s not an opinion; it’s something that’s self-evident to those who have eyes and a television set.
That being said, the hard fouls on the former Iowa Hawkeyes star have been one of the black marks on what otherwise has been a breakthrough season for the WNBA. This isn’t the kind of press that women’s basketball needs — especially not now.
