Caitlin Clark was unexpectedly bodychecked to the ground by Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky near the end of the third quarter of Indiana Fever's latest WNBA game on Saturday. Carter used her own bodyweight to hit Clark, who was waiting for the inbound pass, and Carter surprisingly only received a personal foul.
Television replays appeared to show Carter yelling 'you b***h' at Clark before shoving her to the ground and then simply moving on. It wasn't immediately clear if Clark had provoked Carter in any way, but the Fever star did not expect the attack from Carter. Carter later declined to explain her actions at the post-game press conference.
Unexpected Attack
However, Clark had the last laugh, as her team secured a 71-70 victory, marking their first home win of the season. With 15 seconds left in the third quarter, Clark shared her reaction with ESPN right after the time ran out.
"That's just not a basketball play but I've got to play through it, that's what basketball is about at this level," she said.
Afterward, Carter declined to discuss the incident or what led her to hit her opponent. When a reporter asked about it in the post-game press conference, she responded, "I ain't answering no Caitlin Clark questions."
"I don't know what she said. I didn't say anything."
Facing Social Media Backlash
The incident caused a stir on social media, with USWNT soccer legend Carli Lloyd criticizing Carter, calling her jealous. Responding to Taylor Twellman, another former USA soccer player, who shared the video with the caption, "Why?! I don't get it," Lloyd wrote, "What you call living rent free. Jealousy at its finest."
While Clark's broader claims have been debated, Carter seemed fortunate to avoid a harsher punishment.
Speaking midweek after her 30-point game in the loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, Clark said, "I think everybody's physical with me. They get away with things that, probably, other people don't get away with. It's tough."
Saturday's game marked the first time Clark faced her college rival Angel Reese, who was the seventh pick in the WNBA Draft and selected by Chicago.
