It’s a fine line between passionate competition and unnecessary bullying.
Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark and all of the WNBA veterans playing against her are in an awkward spot right now.
Clark entered the league as its most ballyhooed prospect in its existence, a Michael Jordan/LeBron James figure that has skyrocketed general interest and turned the Fever into appointment television.
Understandably, the hard-working, incredibly talented WNBA veterans who are watching Clark and the other rookies take their spotlight in real time aren’t going to just back down. They’re going to play Clark and her fellow draftees hard.
Chicago Sky rookie forward Angel Reese experienced the same treatment recently on an unnecessary foul from veteran Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas, and Clark dealt with it on Saturday with a pointless hip check from Sky guard Chennedy Chandler.
Fever coach Christie Sides mentioned on Saturday that they’ll be sending clips to the league office of Clark routinely receiving hard fouls, which is what you expect a team would do to protect its rising star in her first season.
What Carter did was wholly unnecessary and probably deserving of a harsher punishment than the common foul she was assessed during Saturday’s game. It seems likely the spat between Clark and Carter may have just been on-court animus bubbling over after the two WNBA players were going back and forth.
Carter doesn’t deserve to be villainized for a cheap foul. It’s also more than fair to criticize the move as a step too far in the name of competition. Clark has a reputation for being brash on the court, and combining that with WNBA veterans wanting to give her a “proper welcome” to the league make moments like this all the more likely.
The “WNBA is being petty to Clark” argument was always silly and largely unfounded, as the Fever rookie is a grown-up and doesn’t need special treatment as she transitions to the league. However, moves like the one Carter made on Saturday both treat Clark unfairly and add fuel to the fire that there is pettiness circulating around the WNBA for Clark’s arrival.
Reese played a physical brand against Clark during Saturday’s game, as the two have a history of competitive fire against each other from their college days. However, Reese’s actions felt much more like what’s typical between opponents on the basketball court. Clark seemingly flops after this contact to draw a foul, which was wise for the officials to ignore, particularly when Clark takes real fouls often.
Clark facing an especially physical brand of basketball isn’t new in the history of the sport. It’s the Detroit Pistons “Jordan Rules” style of roughing up your opponent and getting under their skin to gain a competitive advantage against generational talent, as CBS Sports writer Shehan Jeyarajah pointed out on Twitter (X). Clark will learn to navigate that as she grows.
The league’s overly demanding schedule for the Fever feels like more of a systemic issue for Indiana to face than a widespread issue with Clark being fouled too harshly. The Fever are just going to have to accept that bringing in such a lightning rod of a talent is going to invite fierce competition from the rest of the league, and so far, Clark seems more than up to handling it.
Clark voiced her frustration that she’s getting “hammered” by her opponents, which is to be expected. That’s professional basketball for you when you’re the new star on the block, and it’s clearly not impacting her performance as she’s the 13th-highest average scorer in the WNBA right now.
The WNBA doesn’t need to overreact to the physicality that Clark is playing against, as the world doesn’t need another Tom Brady/NFL situation where even scuffing the superstar’s shoe constitutes as a foul. Clark is an adult who will figure out the WNBA’s not-so-warm welcome, and it’s up to the referees to control the game when it gets out of hand and swallow the whistle when it’s just tough basketball being played by passionate competitors.
The WNBA’s veterans shouldn’t have to tiptoe around Clark when she’s on the court, as it’s not their job to make sure she reaches her potential. If anything, it’s basically their job to stand in her way and give her all the pushback in the world. After all, she’s their opponent.
However, Carter knocking Clark to the ground as the ball was being thrown inbounds felt like a statement, and the wrong one at that. That’s the kind of example that fuels the bad-faith arguments, and it targets Clark unfairly. It was the same for Reese on the Thomas foul earlier in the season.
There’s always going to be a line on the court for what’s permissible and what’s pointless. Carter crossed it, even if she got moved to it by on-court banter. Thomas crossed it on Reese, too. It shouldn’t be repeated on any player, no matter the context.
Rather than firm competition, it just comes across as bullying.
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