Caitlin Clark was on the receiving end from a violent foul by Chicago Sky goalie Chennedy Carter in the Indiana Fever’s narrow win on Saturday, and it quickly became the talk of the sports world.
With Carter criticizing Clark’s play in a Threads post, the drama spilled over into Monday and was the first topic of discussion on ESPN’s “First Take” with Stephen A. Smith, Monica McNutt, Shannon Sharpe and even host Molly Qerim offering their opinions on the matter.
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The WNBA drama continued Monday and was the first topic of discussion on ESPN’s “First Take” with Stephen A. Smith. (Mike Kirschbaum/NBAE via Getty Images)
Smith said he believed there was WNBA players who were jealous of the attention Clark had received since entering the league and suggested that race might play a role in it.
“There are girls — young girls — in the WNBA who are jealous of Caitlin Clark. She’s a white girl who’s just coming into the league,” Smith said. “She’s bursting onto the scene. She hasn’t proven herself yet. They don’t even think they’re better than her because they probably know that at this particular point because they’ve played at a level that she’s just getting to.”
“Where the resentment comes in is after all the hard work, the commitment, the dedication, the pounding the pavement, the being on the defensive for all those years trying to push this brand that is the WNBA and women’s professional basketball. All of their efforts were in vain until this girl came along and took the league by storm, took the sport by storm in college and accomplished in a short period of time what they weren’t able to do.
“You would think that people would be smart enough to recognize and appreciate that in Caitlin Clark – to capitalize on it and praise her and support her for it while competing on the field against her.”
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever defends against the New York Liberty on June 2, 2024, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Smith said he wasn’t necessarily concerned about Carter’s story or even that he wasn’t exaggerating the particular play she was involved in. He wanted to put it all in context.
“You do that to someone who is now the face of the WNBA, you know there’s something a little bit more to it. Now, to be fair to her, I saw a report where it was shown that Caitlin Clark elbowed her first and it was in retaliation — I understand that part. Also, before she pushed her, she checked her from behind, she called her a ‘B.’ We understand all that. It’s in the heat of competition. We’re not going to exaggerate.”
“What we’re going to do is give her the level of appreciation she deserves in terms of the venom and the potential hostility that exists toward this ‘golden girl’ who happens to be white and the way the WNBA promotes her.”
Carter’s foul was upgraded Sunday from a common foul to a misdemeanor flagrant violation-1She received no discipline beyond that.
She wondered on Threads what else Clark brought to the table beyond the 3-point shot after declining to answer a question about the play.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts after scoring against the Seattle Storm on Thursday, May 30, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
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The Fever won the game 71-70. Indiana then lost to the New York Liberty on Sunday, 104-68.
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