Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter had a bone to pick with Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark on Saturday, whether she admits it or not. The tape never lies, and it shows that Carter and Clark had some type of beef during the Fever's 71-70 victory over the Sky.
Carter has since clarified what started it, via her X account.
The X thread was originally started by @saam_keeton, who said “CC yelling in Chennedy's face little do she know Chennedy not the one.”
@ShotbyStout253 then responded “And a little shove in the back……” while showing the above play in which Clark jawed at her after a Fever bucket, and then gave her a slight shove on the other end.
“Yeah this the play lol,” Carter finally confirmed.
At first, the only clip that circulated was what immediately followed Carter's three-pointer. As Indiana inbounded the ball, she shoulder-checked Clark from behind, resulting in a free throw for the Iowa alum. Now that the entire sequence has been posted, fans can get a full picture of what happened and draw their conclusions.
Who was at fault? Did Carter overreact, or should Clark have kept her mouth shut in the beginning?
The Sky and Fever were simply in a heated battle
Tensions were high even after the game, as Carter refused to answer any questions about the incident, via Dylan Svoboda of the New York Post.
“I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,” Carter “I don’t know what she said. I didn’t say anything.”
Clark didn't seem to think the foul was warranted, but she brushed it off anyway.
“Yeah, that’s just not a basketball play,” Clark said. “But you know I’ve gotta play through it, that’s what basketball is about at this level. I thought we’ve been really physical, we’ve missed some bunnies around the rim, so hopefully those fall in the fourth.”
Clark never revealed what she had said to Carter initially. Instead, she focused on the results of the game.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” Clark said of the foul. “It is what it is. It’s a physical game. Go make the free throw and execute on offense and I feel like that’s kind of what we did.”
While some fans have been theorizing that there's a “bounty” on Clark's head, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Anyone on top of their field or in the spotlight usually has a target on their back. It's unlikely that anyone is trying to seriously harm the all-time NCAA scoring leader, but heated competition should be expected in any professional sport. Neither she nor Carter should be punished for what happened.
Michael Jordan got constantly knocked around by the Bad Boy Pistons in the '90s, and he always found a way to get back up and maintain his excellence. True champions rise to the occasion no matter how many times they get knocked down, so nothing less should be expected of Clark.
Luckily, the 22-year-old seems to have the mental toughness to handle these sorts of occurrences, which will help her continue to take fouls like this in stride as she establishes herself in the WNBA.
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