Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has been the biggest story of the young 2024 WNBA season.
There have been plenty of highlights, a few lowlights and perhaps too much chatter surrounding the 22-year-old sharpshooter. One of the theories shared by fans—as well as Fever general manager Lin Dunn—is that the guard is being targeted for hard fouls by players around the league.
To deflect those claims, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert brought up the Fever’s most recent win—a 85–83 victory over the Washington Mystics in which Clark scored 30 points.
“Did anyone say she was targeted in that game?’’ Engelbert said to USA Today’s Josh Peter. “No, because everyone’s just looking for the outcome that they want. But it’s great fandom. It’s great discussion, and I think obviously we continue to look at or review games after the fact.”
Earlier this month, Fever coach Christie Sides said the team is submitting plays in which Clark isn’t getting calls on hard fouls to the WNBA league office for further review. Dunn echoed that statement on social media and requested that the WNBA cleans up the “unnecessary targeting actions.”
Engelbert, who said she has received thousands of emails from fans about the former Iowa guard this season, believes the physicality against the rookie is the norm rather than the exception.
“I think everybody’s watching Caitlin, so they’re focused only on Caitlin,’’ Engelbert said. “But when you look across other games (with) other players, it’s a physical game. There’s no doubt about it. It’s a pure shooter’s game, it’s a physical game, it’s a lot of pick-and-rolls, a lot of seeing the floor.’’
Clark and the Fever (3–10) return to the court Thursday to host the Atlanta Dream (5–5) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
TOM DIERBERGER
Tom is a writer and editor for the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. In the industry since 2016, Tom joined Sports Illustrated in 2023 after working with FOX Sports, Bally Sports, and NBC Sports. Off the clock, Tom can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.
Follow tomdierberger
