Caitlin Clark's seventh technical foul of the season has sparked controversy, putting her at risk of a mandatory one-game suspension without pay from the league. The star point guard for the Indiana Fever picked up the technical foul during Wednesday night's 123-88 win over the Connecticut Sun.
The incident occurred in the third quarter when Clark and Sun guard Saniya Rivers exchanged words after Clark drew a foul on Sun forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa. Clark then gestured toward the scoreboard on the jumbotron above her, which showed the Fever up 28 points at the time. "I'm aware, yeah," Clark said with a laugh, referring to the potential of being one technical foul away from an automatic one-game suspension. "Yeah, she said she was locking me up, so I said, 'Scoreboard.' And the ref didn't like that."
Clark's technical foul was the second straight game in which she picked up a technical foul. She was assessed a tech just 90 seconds into Saturday's game against New York. The incident has raised concerns about Clark's behavior on the court, but the three-time WNBA All-Star says she won't let it change the way she plays. "That intensity and that fire is what makes me, me," Clark said. "I don't think I'm going to be playing with that in the back of my head. I think that might hinder my play a little bit. So I think, just continue to be myself and then just try to refocus, focusing on my teammates and how I can help them."
The Fever's head coach, Stephanie White, has also weighed in on the situation. "She's got to pick and choose and it's every two (technicals) after that. So I think the biggest thing is she knows," White said. "She has awareness about it. We'll try to help her when we can, but sometimes we can't. And if she wants to be strategic about which game she doesn't want to play, then she'll let her fly."
With just 17 games left in the regular season, Clark's next technical foul will bring a mandatory one-game suspension without pay from the league, along with a $1,500 fine. Clark is now tied with Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese for the most technical fouls in the league. The incident has put a spotlight on the Indiana Fever's star point guard and her behavior on the court.
Source: Yahoo Sports