The Indiana Fever's easy win over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday evening was in many ways overshadowed by various scuffles that took place throughout the game. It started when Jacy Sheldon of the Sun poked Fever star Caitlin Clark in the eye in the third quarter, which led to a skirmish in which Clark was decked to the floor by Marina Mabrey.

Later in the game, Fever star Sophie Cunningham retaliated against Sheldon, committing a hard foul against her on a fast break and getting ejected from the game.

The incidents reignited a slew of discourse about WNBA players' perceived jealousy of Clark and whether her Fever teammates have been sticking up for her enough amid the vitriol.

On Wednesday, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith weighed in on the debate with an interesting opinion on First Take.

“There's also resentment towards her because she instigates resentment towards her… The whole Angel Reese thing with her started because when Caitlin [Clark] was giving it to everybody else, she was the one waving her in their face,” said Smith.

Clark indeed has never shied away from showmanship throughout her career dating back to her days at Iowa, which captured national headlines during her back-and-forth with Angel Reese of LSU during the 2023 championship game.

Business as usual for the Fever

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The Fever now sit at 6-5 on the season, having weathered the storm of a previous Clark injury that kept her out of the lineup for multiple weeks.

Clark once again crossed the 20-point plateau during Tuesday evening's win vs the Sun, who now sit at a lowly 2-9 on the campaign.

As previously mentioned, some of Clark's Fever teammates have received criticism over the past two years for not standing up for the point guard as much as fans want them to in the face of perceived dirty plays from the opposition.

However, no such criticism can be directed at Cunningham, who made sure to get her money's worth with her hard foul on Sheldon.

The Fever will next take the floor on Thursday vs the Golden State Valkyries on the road.