WNBA upgrades foul on Caitlin Clark by Chennedy Carter to flagrant violation

The WNBA on Sunday announced that it had upgraded a foul committed by Chicago Sky player Chennedy Carter against Indiana’s Caitlin Clark.

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Carter, who gave the WNBA’s No. 1 pick of the 2024 draft a hard shoulder check late in the third quarter of Saturday’s game, will not be suspended or fined, ESPN reported.

The move by Carter came before an inbounds pass during a game eventually won by 71-70 by the Fever. It was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 foul, according to The Athletic.

Players accumulate points for flagrant fouls during the regular season and are suspended if they reach a certain number, according to The Associated Press.

Carter appeared to say something before shoving her shoulder into Clark, knocking the Fever player to the ground.

Carter was whistled for an away-from-the-play foul, The Athletic reported. That allowed Clark to attempt her only free throw of the game.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Clark told reporters after the game. “But it’s just like, ‘Respond, calm down and let your play do the talking.’ It is what it is.

“Go make the free throw and then execute on offense.”

Carter, who led Chicago with 19 points coming off the bench, declined to comment about the play, according to The Athletic.

“I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,” she told reporters.

Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon also refused to answer questions about the play.

According to The Athletic, Carter later wrote about the play in a social media post. While commenting about the video, she reportedly wrote, “And that’s that on that cause beside three point shooting what does she bring to the table man.”

Clark finished the game with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

“I grew up playing basketball with the boys, so, like, it’s always been physical and feisty and that’s what it is,” Clark said Sunday, according to ESPN. “You gotta find a way to hold your own.”

“This league is awesome, it’s a physical league,” Fever coach Christie Sides said before Sunday’s game against the New York Liberty, ESPN reported. “That was a non-basketball play that needed to be called in that moment.”

On Sunday, Clark had the worst game of her fledgling WNBA career, shooting 1-for-10 from the field and scoring just three points in a 104-68 loss to the New York Liberty, ESPN reported. It was Clark’s lowest point total and field goal percentage in her 11 WNBA games and also her 139 college games at the University of Iowa, the cable sports news outlet reported.

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