Caitlin Clark Fans Are Furious Over That Chennedy Carter Shoulder-Check Amid WNBA Criticism

WNBA fans have been waiting with bated breath for the first official face-off between star rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and the game certainly didn’t disappoint. The Indiana Fever home game against Chicago Sky was a true nail biter, ending with a score of 71-70 in favor of the Fever. However, there was one moment in the game that got people talking for less positive reasons.

As multiple players in the WNBA push back against fan criticism that seasoned players are unfairly targeting the league’s new superstars on the court and in the press, another hard foul against Clark is going viral. While basketball is obviously physical sport, some fans were shocked to see Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter appear to call Clark a “bitch” before hitting her with a shoulder-check in the 3rd quarter.

Instead of calling a flagrant foul, which would have resulted in Carter’s ejection from the game, officials called an away-from-play foul. Clark disagreed with the call, as she told ESPN in between quarters. “Yeah, that’s just not a basketball play,” she said, per Sports Illustrated. “But you know I’ve gotta play through it, that’s what basketball is about at this level.”

Some fans were less willing to move past it. “Tell me again, how Caitlin Clark is not being targeted & treated unfairly,” one fan said of the moment, directly referencing the recent discourse. Another wrote, “WNBA players are not beating the hating Caitlin Clark allegations at all 😭 they are mad.”

ESPN Radio host Jake Asman described the moment as an “embarrassment for the WNBA,” suggesting Carter should have been suspended.

When asked about the face-off in a post-game interview, Carter replied, “I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.”

For what it’s worth, Caitlin Clark appears to recognize the target on her back—whether its a matter of jealousy, as some fans believe, or simply a natural response to the number one draft pick’s talent on the court. “I think everybody’s physical with me,” Clark said during a recent press conference. “You know, they get away with things [that] probably, other people don’t get away with.”

Earlier this week, Angel Reese was on the receiving end of a particularly hard foul that did result in the ejection of Connecticut Sun player Alyssa Thomas. “It’s not just because I’m a rookie, I’m a player,” Reese told reporters after the game. “I’m a basketball player. They don’t give a damn if I’m a rookie. I want them to come at me every day. I want them to come at everybody. I mean, they’re not supposed to be nice to me. I hope you know that they’re not supposed to be nice to me or lay down because I’m Angel Reese or because I’m a rookie.”

Not everyone agrees with Reese’s assessment. “This is crazy,” one fan wrote in response to today’s viral foul. “I can understand hard fouls but between this and Alyssa Thomas attacking Angel Reese, it needs to stop. The league is growing because of this rookie class. Live with it old heads.”

Meanwhile, Phoenix Mercury player Natasha Cloud recently stuck up for the league, describing the discourse as “extremely hateful.”

“Y’all want us to hate each other so bad and that’s the furthest thing from the fucking truth,” she said in a recent press conference. “We love our sisters. This is a sisterhood [for] everyone that’s a part of this league, but [don’t] expect us to not go out and be dogs every single night when we step across those lines.”