Lombardi Trophy and Caitlin Clark (Photos via Getty Images)
Ryan Clark has sounded out a warning to Caitlin Clark following her most recent cheap shot.
The Indiana Fever rookie was the victim of a hard body check from Chicago Sky shooting guard Chennedy Carter during their game on Saturday – though it appears she got one on Carter first. And everyone’s weighing in on the incident, including Ryan, a Super Bowl winner who’s now an analyst for ESPN.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back has told Caitlin she can continue to expect physical play from her WNBA counterparts, also defending what Diana Taurasi had to say about her.
“Chennedy Carter’s foul on Caitlin Clark seemed to be bigger than just the hooping, & that was the first time I felt that this year,” he wrote as a caption to a clip of him speaking about the incident on ‘The Pivot’ podcast.
“Diana Taurasi said it would be hard on Clark, & she’d have to adjust. The skill level, intensity, & physicality have all taken significant jumps, but Clark is working to handle it all in stride. During the game Clark maintained its basketball & she just has to play through it.
“The@indianafever will get everyone’s best shot, & their star may receive a couple cheap ones. That’s the road of a baller in any sport, & @wnba is no different!”
Clark And The Fever Have Since Returned To Losing Ways
While Caitlin Clark enjoyed her second win of the season on Saturday, having played 10 games, the Fever have returned to losing ways, falling to the New York Liberty in a blowout loss.
The Liberty are 3-0 against the Fever this season. They beat them 104-68 on Sunday and limited Caitlin to just three points on 1-of-10 shooting.
The Fever will play their next game against the Washington Mystics this Friday.
Head Coach Teresa Weatherspoon (Photo via Getty Images)
Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon has walked back on her previous comments about the cheap shot Chennedy Carter delivered on Caitlin Clark in Saturday’s game.
Late in the third quarter of the Indiana Fever-Chicago contest, Chennedy Carter delivered an unnecessary shot to Caitlin Clark after making a basket. Carter was issued a foul on the court, though the WNBA reviewed the play and upgraded it to a flagrant foul.
Per Tori Rubinstein of NBC Sports Chicago, Weatherspoon initially defended Carter by stating that her and Clark were “just competing.”
But Weatherspoon reversed course on Monday when she put out a statement and said Carter’s cheap shot was “not appropriate.” Weatherspoon added that it’s not “who we are” and that Carter “will learn from this”.
It doesn’t appear that Carter will face any further discipline from the league for the cheap shot. The main hope, though, is that opposing players will stop crossing the line with their hits and cheap shots on Caitlin Clark.
Clark and the Fever got the last laugh on Chennedy Carter and company anyway, leading Indiana to a 71-70 win that snapped a three-game losing streak. The victory also marked Indiana’s first win on home court, with registering 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the victory.
Chennedy Carter & Chicago Sky Begin Pivotal Four-Game Homestand
Saturday’s loss dropped Indiana to 3-4 on the season, but the good news is that there’s a path to get back above .500 with a four-game homestand next on the schedule.
The Sky will begin the homestand on Tuesday against the New York Liberty, who boast the second-best record in the league (7-2), behind only the Connecticut Sun (8-0). Chicago will then host the Washington Mystics, the league’s worst team with a winless 0-8 mark.
After hosting the Atlanta Dream on June 8, Carter and the Sky will conclude the homestand with a June 12 showdown against Connecticut. They’ll then begin a mini two-game road trip that begins in Washington on June 14.
