Latest news with #TinaCharles
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Caitlin Clark told to leave the WNBA following brutal on-court incident
A section of Caitlin Clark 's fans have urged the Indiana Fever star to leave the WNBA following her brutal on-court incidents, including one where she spilled to the floor, against the Connecticut Sun. On Tuesday night, Clark was targeted by rivals Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey on multiple occasions. Clark first former Iowa star first took issue with Sheldon's aggressiveness in the second quarter. Sheldon's teammate, Mabrey, quickly stepped in and gave a little shove to Clark as she walked away from the confrontation. No technical fouls were called on that exchange. However, the explosive game escalated to a shocking level in the second half when Sheldon appeared to jab Clark in the eye. In defense, the Fever star retaliated by giving shield a nudge away from her only for Mabrey stepped in again, this time, slamming Clark to the ground. Clark's teammates, including Lexie Hull, got into it with Mabrey, as the Fever phenom picked herself up off the hardwood. Clark and Sun post player Tina Charles were given dueling technical fouls, as well as Mabrey receiving her own technical. Sheldon got a flagrant 1 call. After being targeted physically, some that support Clark believe it was enough for one of the WNBA's most popular players to leave the league behind. 'Caitlin Clark should leave the WNBA. She could do much better for herself in the @thebig3 with @icecube and be treated with more respect,' one Fever fan said on social media. 'Caitlin Clark should leave the WNBA for Europe. WNBA doesn't deserve her,' a second person stated. 'I'm starting to think Caitlin Clark should just leave the WNBA and start her own new pro league. May sound crazy. But if I could buy stock in Caitlin or the rest of the WNBA without her, I'm buying Caitlin Clark stock over the entire WNBA combined without her,' conservative commentator Clay Travis added. 'Caitlin Clark should leave the league. Join whatever other league there is out there and say f*** you to the WNBA. No one cares about this league. They only tune in to watch Clark and they will do they where she plays,' another supporter concluded. A collection of social media messages from Clark's fans, suggesting she leave the WNBA The physicality between the teams picked up again in the last minute of the game as well, as a Sophie Cunningham foul on Sheldon was given as a Flagrant 2, ejecting the former Missouri star from the game. Sheldon picked up a technical foul during that exchange, also kicking her out of the game. Connecticut's Lindsay Allen was also ejected during the exchange after making physical contact with Cunningham. No one was suspended from the league based on their actions, with a few receiving just fines. Clark got a measure of on-court revenge in the fourth quarter, hitting a long-range three with Sheldon closely guarding. After the ball swished, Clark can be seen yelling at the Sun bench. The Connecticut roster's physical nature continues Clark being a consistent target for other players throughout her professional career. During last month's opening-weekend showpiece game for the league, Clark was involved in another on-court confrontation with arch rival and Chicago Sky star Angel Reese. Reese had to be restrained after Clark knocked her down and caused her to spill the ball moments after she grabbed an offensive rebound near the end of the third quarter. As tempers hit boiling point, Clark turned her back and walked away as players from both teams got between the two to stop things spilling over. Reese then walked to the side of the court where a Sky official stepped in front of her to try and get her to cool her temper. The WNBA announced the racism investigation the day after the Fever and Chicago Sky met in the league's opening weekend. All parties involved tried to distance themselves from the situation after the investigation was completed, with no wrongdoing found by Fever fans.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
There's Growing Push For Caitlin Clark To Leave The WNBA
There's Growing Push For Caitlin Clark To Leave The WNBA originally appeared on The Spun. There's a growing push for Caitlin Clark to "leave" the WNBA following Tuesday night's incident. Clark, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, was involved in a bit of a brawl on Tuesday night. During the third quarter of the Indiana Fever vs. Connecticut Sun game, Clark was hit in the eye by Jacy Sheldon, her former Big Ten rival. Clark was then decked to the ground by Connecticut's Marina Mabrey. Advertisement The Fever were leading the game, 54-45, at the time of the incident. They went on to win, 87-71. Clark, Mabrey and Tina Charles were each assessed technical fouls for the incident on Tuesday. Sheldon was assessed a flagrant 1 foul for the play. No players were ejected. This is the latest in a string of physical incidents that have involved Clark. While Clark might not be getting "targeted" in a dangerous sense, it's clear that opposing players are being very physical with her. She just returned from a two-week injury. Clark, who has become arguably the most popular player in the WNBA, is fully committed to the league - and women's basketball in general. Advertisement But there is a growing push for her to leave the league, with fans claiming that other WNBA players or the league as a whole don't appreciate her enough. "Caitlin Clark needs to leave the WNBA as soon as she can. The league is actively trying to injure her. Their hatred for her is incredibly obvious. This is insane. She is bigger than the league," one fan wrote. "I'm starting to think Caitlin Clark should just leave the WNBA and start her own new pro league. May sound crazy. But if I could buy stock in Caitlin or the rest of the WNBA without her, I'm buying Caitlin Clark stock over the entire WNBA combined without her," one fan added. "Caitlin Clark should leave the WNBA. She could do much better for herself," one fan added. Advertisement "Caitlin Clark should leave the league. Join whatever other league there is out there and say (expletive) you to the WNBA. No one cares about this league. They only tune in to watch Clark and they will do they where she plays," one fan added. Caitlin Clark and her teammates.© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Clark, who is making less than $80,000 in WNBA salary, is earning millions more in endorsements. She was reportedly offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 League, though she turned that down. While Clark could theoretically make more money in salary by joining a league, in the long run, she's almost surely better off by sticking in the WNBA. As long as she doesn't get too hurt, that is... Advertisement There's Growing Push For Caitlin Clark To Leave The WNBA first appeared on The Spun on Jun 18, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA upgrades Marina Mabrey foul on Caitlin Clark to Flagrant 2 from Fever vs. Sun
The WNBA has ruled no suspensions will be enforced from the scuffle in the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun game, but the foul against Caitlin Clark was upgraded to a Flagrant 2. Late in the third quarter of the contest, Clark was dribbling around the perimeter when Sun guard Jacy Sheldon made contact with Clark's face. The Fever star was frustrated and shoved Sheldon. But immediately afterward, Sun forward Marina Mabrey jumped in and pushed Clark down on the floor. It resulted in a mild dustup between both teams on the court. Advertisement The officials reviewed the play and ruled a flagrant foul on Sheldon, with double technical fouls assessed to Clark and Connecticut center Tina Charles. Mabrey was charged with a technical foul, which confused the broadcast crew and viewers as the excessive contact was grounds for ejection. Now, Mabrey's technical foul has been upgraded to a Flagrant 2, the WNBA confirmed to IndyStar, part of the USA TODAY Network. After the game, crew chief Ashley Gloss said in a pool report conducted by IndyStar "the contact made by Mabrey did not rise to the level of an ejection. Additionally, (it) did not meet the criteria for a flagrant foul penalty two." Clark and Charles were each given technical fouls for acting in an "unsportsmanlike manner." Advertisement Had Mabrey's Flagrant 2 been called in the game, she would have been ejected. She will face the standard fine for Flagrant 2. Sophie Cunningham faces additional fine The incident between Clark, Sheldon and Mabrey wasn't the only incident in the chippy game. In the final minute of the quarter, Sheldon was going for a layup when Fever guard Sophie Cunningham wrapped her arms around her and pulled her to the ground. Sheldon immediately got up and teammate Lindsay Allen joined her in confronting Cunningham. A scuffle broke out between the three players as teammates and security attempted to break up the incident. The play was reviewed and Cunningham was assessed a Flagrant 2 and ejected, while Sheldon and Allen were also assessed technical fouls for fighting and were also ejected. Advertisement The league added an additional fine to Cunningham on top of the standard Flagrant 2 fine she received. No players will be suspended as a result of the game's incidents. Indiana won the contest 88-71 to clinch a spot in the Commissioner's Cup championship game. Contributing: Chloe Peterson, Indianapolis Star This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA upgrades foul on Caitlin Clark from Fever-Sun game
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
US tennis legend Chris Evert slams WNBA players over wild Caitlin Clark attacks as she calls out 'bad look'
US tennis legend Chris Evert has taken aim at the WNBA and its players over the shocking skirmishes that left Caitlin Clark on the floor during the Indiana Fever's heated clash against the Connecticut Sun. Fouls flew around the court Tuesday night as Clark and Sun rivals Marina Mabrey and Tina Charles were hit with technicals, while Jacy Sheldon was assessed a flagrant foul. Clark was jabbed in the eye by Connecticut's Sheldon, who had previously been caught in a heated exchange with the Fever star, before being pushed over by Mabrey. When the Indiana superstar reacted angrily to being struck by Sheldon, the latter's teammate raced over and slammed her to the floor in a violent moment which sparked outrage online. Somehow she avoided an ejection from the game despite the shove being unprovoked, much to the dismay of WNBA fans - including Evert. The 18-time Grand Slam winner questioned why Mabrey was allowed to remain in the game, calling out the optics of the attacks on the league's most high-profile star. Evert questioned why Mabrey was allowed to remain in the game, calling out the optics 'When will these ladies realize, accept, and appreciate @CaitlinClark22 is the best thing that ever happened to women's basketball. This is a bad look for the sport and what's happened to sportsmanship?' Evert wrote on X. The 70-year-old former women's world No 1 shared the post in response to similar criticism from sports columnist Christine Brennan, who is set to release a book on Clark next month. 'The WNBA continues to fail to meet the moment. Terrible decision to allow Marina Mabrey to stay in the game. People are watching as never before. And this is what they see?' Brennan wrote on X. Brennan and Evert weren't alone in the outrage at the league and its officiating as many fans, including Barstool Sports chief Dave Portnoy, took to social media to slam the decision to allow Mabrey to continue playing. Following the bust-ups, both Fever and Sun staff were also critical of the officiating with Indiana head coach Stephanie White claiming that 'everybody [in the league] is getting better, except the officials.' 'I started talking to the officials in the first quarter, and we knew this was going to happen,' White said. 'You could tell it was going to happen. So, they've got to get control of it. They've got to be better.' However, the WNBA came out Wednesday and admitted that Mabrey should have faced harsher punishment for her part in the on-court skirmish. Mabrey's technical has been upgraded to a flagrant 2, which would have brought an ejection had it been dished out on the night. Meanwhile, Clark's teammate and friend Sophie Cunningham was assessed with a flagrant foul and immediately ejected from the heated contest late in the game. With 46.1 seconds remaining in the game, Cunningham committed a blatant and hard foul of her own as Sheldon came away with a steal. In retaliation, the Fever enforcer wrapped her arms around the Sun guard's head and pulling her to the ground in an act of revenge after her foul on Clark. Another larger scuffle then ensued, with Connecticut's Lindsay Allen running over to defend her teammate and Sheldon popping straight up to shove the Fever player. Tensions took a while to die down and at the end of it, Cunningham, Sheldon, and Allen were all ejected. In addition to the standard fine that comes with earning a flagrant 2, Cunningham has also received a subsequent fine.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fever's Caitlin Clark gets real about facing challenge after heated Sun meeting
The post Fever's Caitlin Clark gets real about facing challenge after heated Sun meeting appeared first on ClutchPoints. Caitlin Clark was once again the star of the show as the Indiana Fever defeated the Connecticut Sun 88-71 in a physical game that saw three players being ejected late. The Fever superstar finished with 20 points and six assists, including four 3-pointers. However, it was her tense exchange with Jacy Sheldon that garnered the spotlight. Advertisement The Fever were leading 55-45 with less than five minutes in the third quarter. Clark dribbled past the 3-point line with Sheldon guarding her closely. Her attempts to stop the Fever star resulted in her poking Clark in the eye, who immediately recoiled. The two then got into a physical altercation after Sheldon appeared to shove Clark. This was followed by Tina Charles pushing her to the ground. Initially adjudged a technical foul, Sheldon was eventually issued a flagrant 1, with Clark and Charles getting double technicals. Marina Mabrey was also issued a technical foul. Post-game, Clark was calmness personified, claiming that she intended to let her game do all the talking. 'I'm here to play basketball. My game's gonna talk and that's all that really matters,' Clark said. 'I love this game, and I'm gonna give it everything I have. I think that's what competitors do. You just step right back up to the challenge.' Advertisement Following the altercation, Clark was awarded three free throws, all of which she converted. Tension continued to flare in the game as a subsequent on-court fight led to the ejections of Sophie Cunningham, Jacy Sheldon, and Lindsay Allen. With under a minute left, Sheldon was on a fast break after a steal when Indiana's Sophie Cunningham wrapped her up with a hard foul. A skirmish ensued, leading to the ejections of Cunningham, Sheldon, and Lindsay Allen. Regardless, the Fever will be delighted with the win, which comes days after an impressive victory over the New York Liberty. Clark top-scored for her team with 20 points, with Natasha Howard registering a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. The win means that the Fever will now face the Minnesota Lynx in the Commissioner's Cup championship game on July 1. Related: Fever's Stephanie White takes savage shot at officials after win vs. Sun Related: Fever hit franchise milestone after Caitlin Clark's big game vs. Sun
