Amid the tail end of her sensational rookie season, Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark has been making headlines for griping with referees. According to Blaze Media’s Jason Whitlock, Clark’s behavior has significantly diminished her likability.
Clark entered Sunday’s home matchup against the Dallas Wings tied for the WNBA’s second-most technical fouls this season (six). A seventh technical would have resulted in her receiving an automatic one-game suspension for Indiana’s regular-season finale.
Instead, Clark thrived against Dallas, recording a career-high 35 points and eight assists en route to breaking the league’s single-season rookie scoring record (761 points).
Jason Whitlock berates Caitlin Clark for repeated troubles with refs (Image Credits: IMAGN and @WhitlockJason on X/Twitter
Afterward, Clark credited her teammates for watching her back to prevent her from racking up her seventh technical. She added that she was relieved to move past the ordeal after publicly questioning the WNBA’s officiating a couple of days earlier.
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“My teammates do a really good job of that. They think I’m funny, they think it’s funny,” Clark said. “… But now, it’s basically over, I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Following Sunday’s 110-109 victory, Clark and the Fever are locked into the league’s sixth seed (20-19), seemingly looking ahead to the playoffs.
Nevertheless, on “Fearless with Jason Whitlock” Monday, Whitlock called out the All-Star guard for hindering her fan appeal by complaining too frequently.
“‘Ponytail Pete Maravich,’ the biggest star in American sports, is transforming into ‘Crying Caitlin Clark,’ an unlikeable, floppy whiner who plays with a victim mentality,” Whitlock said.
Clark has quickly become one of the WNBA’s biggest stars, playing a pivotal role in the league’s drastic viewership increase. Thus, fans seemingly haven’t been turned off by her propensity to take exception to officiating calls. However, it remains to be seen if that will change as she continues her ascension.
Jason Whitlock says Caitlin Clark’s star power prevented her from receiving 7th technical foul
While Caitlin Clark credited her teammates for helping her avoid her seventh technical foul, Jason Whitlock disagreed. According to the outspoken media personality, Clark was able to do so due to her big-name recognition.
“In reality, Clark’s babysitters actually failed,” Whitlock said. “Her star power stopped the refs from T’ing her up on Sunday. Clark spent the entire game flailing her arms, flopping to the ground at the slightest contact and fussing at game officials. She put the referees in an impossible position, and she knew it.”
It’s unclear whether Sunday’s officials gave Clark a longer leash, given that she was on the brink of suspension. Regardless, the standout rookie being eligible to play in Thursday’s season finale against the Washington Mystics is seemingly an overwhelming positive for the WNBA.
