Caitlin Clark is quick becoming one of the most-watched basketball players out there, after graduating from her position as the MVP of the Iowa Hawkeyes and officially going pro with her move to the WNBA’s Indiana Fever.
She’s broadly considered one of the greatest collegiate players of all time, and — while her move to the WNBA is still ramping up— expectations for her professional career are sky-high. She officially made the move to Indiana in April, serving as the first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft. Its no surprise, given her obvious talent, but in the weeks since she joined the team Clark has seen some major pushback from her opponents.
Clark’s obvious promise is clearly seen as a threat by some of her fellow WNBA players, and some of them have been making the rivalry clear. She’s been taking hits since her earliest days on the pro court, but the latest foul against her is finally sparking a necessary conversation about the fine line between competitiveness and outright bullying.
What happened between Caitlin Clark and Chennedy Carter?
The first few weeks of Caitlin Clark’s professional career have been marred by an initially slow start from the world-class athlete, and rampant pushback from her newfound opponents. That pushback escalated in an early June match between Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever, which saw the Sky’s Chennedy Carter brazenly foul her rookie opponent for seemingly no reason.
Clark and Carter had several tense exchanges in the lead-up to Carter’s big foul, but few fans are taking the Sky guard’s side in the wake of the video’s circulation. In an instantly-viral clip of the game, Carter can be seen hip-checking Clark to the ground while shouting expletives. Clark didn’t even have the ball at the time, which led numerous viewers — and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III — to call out Carter for the “aggressive play” and for “hating” on Clark.
In clips of the exchange, Clark is clearly startled by the sudden aggression from Carter, but she quickly recovers. She also delivered a classy response to Carter’s behavior in the wake of the game, when reporters questioned her about it. When asked how she responded to being “decked” by Carter, Clark explained that, while she hadn’t expected the hip-check, she made sure to leave it all on the court.
“Yeah I wasn’t expecting it, but I think its just like… just respond, come down, let your play do the talking,” Clark said. Adding that “it is what it is,” and noting that basketball is a “physical game,” Clark’s response was met with praise for her poise and respect, earning her even more fans as she heads into her second full month in the WNBA.