Saturday night marked the first time college rivals Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have faced off in the WNBA. The Chicago Sky versus Indiana Fever game was even more heated than anticipated — and ended with Reese being fined by the league for skipping the postgame press conference.
In a moment from the game that has since gone viral, the Sky’s Chennedy Carter slammed her shoulder into Clark, causing Clark to fall down and Reese to jump off the bench and clap. Later in the game, Reese elbowed Clark, knocking her to the floor. Clark got up and waved her arms, seemingly surprised that the refs didn’t call the shove. Talking about Carter’s foul, Clark told ESPN after the game: “That’s just not a basketball play, but you know, I’ve gotta play through it, that’s what basketball is about at this level.”
Reese, however, opted not to talk about the incident, skipping the postgame press conference without giving a reason. Although Carter showed up to the press conference, she refused to discuss the incident with Clark, telling reporters, “I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.” On social media later, though, she commented on a video of the conference, writing “beside three point shooting what does she bring to the table man,” seemingly in reference to Clark’s signature (and record-breaking) shots.
On Sunday, the WNBA announced that it was fining Reese $1,000 for not attending the press conference and hitting the Sky with a $5,000 fine for not enforcing the media rule, the Athletic reports. The league also upgraded Carter’s foul on Clark to a Flagrant 1. Commentators have noted that Clark, the first overall WNBA draft pick, hasn’t had the warmest welcome into the league, frequently being guarded aggressively. Some fans say older players are jealous of the credit Clark has gotten for bringing more eyes to women’s basketball, while others say the on-court jabs are just part of the sport. Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon seems to believe the latter: Per the Chicago Sun-Times, she told reporters that the incident between Clark and Carter could simply be attributed to two players being competitive.
