Watch: Caitlin Clark Given Black Eye After Nasty Poke as Refs Miss Clear Foul by Opponent
How’s the WNBA going to explain this one?
Caitlin Clark — the precocious superstar rookie of the Indiana Fever — was left with both injury and insult after her team was routed by the Connecticut Sun 93-69 on Sunday in Game 1 of their WNBA Playoffs first-round series.
And it largely appeared to be the fault of a familiar foe.
(No, not that one.)
Clark finished Sunday’s loss with 11 points, eight assists and three steals, which is fine statistical line, in and of itself.
But she also finished the game shooting a woeful 4-for-17 from the field, including a dreadful 2-for-13 from beyond the 3-point arc, two turnovers, two fouls, a team-worst -20 plus/minus, and a black eye to boot.
Clark was sporting the small shiner in the post game scrum with reporters:
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark sporting a black eye after Game 1 loss to Connecticut Sun pic.twitter.com/oK8Fo00AHA
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 22, 2024
Now, battle scars happen in sports, as do lopsided postseason losses. None of it is fun, obviously, but even the great Michael Jordan had to go through some growing pains with the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons before winning his first ring.
But even when those Pistons were mauling Jordan as part of the team’s “Jordan Rules,” (a team philosophy buttressed by hammering Jordan anytime he was in the paint), the referees would generally call fouls on Detroit.
The incident that left Clark with a shiner? It wasn’t even called a foul.
In the first half of the Sun-Fever game, Clark lobbed a pass that was contested by Connecticut guard Dijonai Carrington.
On Carrington’s follow-through, she clipped Clark in the eye — a clear and obvious foul that wasn’t clear or obvious enough for the referees.
Dijonai Carrington caught Caitlin Clark in the eye on a follow through and the referees missed it pic.twitter.com/djKKqwLkVp
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) September 22, 2024
Adding to this mess, a day after the game, a new video of the eye poke began circulating, and it showed Carrington making a rather unnatural motion on her follow-through.
🚨Video evidence suggests Dijonai Carrington may have intentionally hit Caitlin Clark early in the first quarter of the Sun v. Fever playoff game, resulting in a black eye.
No foul was called. The #WNBA needs to investigate immediately. Does this look unintentional to you? pic.twitter.com/ue2Sf03e9O
— The Boston Post (@ABostonPost) September 23, 2024
The new angle showed Carrington’s hand going from a flat position (as if she were about to slap someone) to a hand gesture that like resembled a cobra.
Look, if the WNBA wants to dispel the notion that its former stars are bitter and jealous, and that Clark has an unfair target on her back … maybe make the correct call here?
The social media outcry was swift and loud, and it was made all the more fervent due to the past history between Carrington and Clark.
Earlier this season, Carrington apparently found fault with Clark’s relative silence on major social culture issues (read: LGBT and BLM-type issues), blaming her for helping perpetuate bigotry.
Given that uncalled for attack (seriously, what’s Caitlin supposed to do if she does have unsavory fans? Most public figures do.), most viewers were not ready to give Carrington the benefit of the doubt when it came to the eye poke of doom.
As for Clark? Like the Jordan-esque competitor she appears to be, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year is already looking forward to playing up to her lofty standards and getting that win back.
“We didn’t play well, didn’t play to the level we’re capable of playing,” Clark said, per ESPN. “We didn’t shoot the ball like we’re capable of. We’re capable of winning this game.”
Game 2 between the Fever and Sun will take place in Connecticut on Wednesday.
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