HENDERSON, Nev. – Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has been fined $200 for a social media comment where she criticized the officiating during her team’s recent playoff series victory against the Atlanta Dream, according to Clark herself.
“I was fined $200 for this hahaha,” Clark posted on X, attaching a screenshot of a comment on Instagram where he wrote “The referees couldn’t stop us.”Clark, who was ruled out for the season due to an injury on September 4, drew attention to the matter at the Fever’s training on Saturday, shouting to reporters from across the gym: “Hey everyone, go see my tweet!”.
Sophie Cunningham, Clark’s teammate on the Fever, also commented on X: “That’s really going to break her bank.” Cunningham has also been fined several times this season for criticizing the referees.
Officiating was a significant talking point during the first-round series between the No. 6-seeded Fever and the No. 3-seeded Dream. At least 36 fouls were called in each game, including 43 in Game 1.
The Fever finally defeated Atlanta thanks to a comeback victory by 87-85 in the decisive Game 3, with Aliyah Boston scoring the basket that gave them the lead with 7.4 seconds remaining in the game.
The Fever will face the Las Vegas Aces in the next round, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
Aces coach Becky Hammon commented on Saturday about the Fever-Dream series: “It was a football game. There were bodies flying all the time. Frankly, that made basketball very ugly and I think it’s something the league needs to analyze.”
“These players are incredibly skilled, and that’s what should stand out. I don’t know if they get a bonus for not calling fouls in the playoffs… some of the hits I saw in the Atlanta-Indiana game, if you did that to someone on the street, you’d be arrested. But on a WNBA court, there’s nothing to see here.”
Clark, Cunningham, and three other Fever players have had to watch the playoffs from the bench after suffering injuries that prevented them from playing the rest of the season. Damiris Dantas was also out of action during the first round due to a concussion. Her status for the semi-finals is uncertain.
“THE BANK WILL BE EVEN NOISIER TOMORROW LET’S GO!”, Clark also said in the X post.
