has appeared to carry a target on her back since she came into the WNBA in 2024, or at least many fans see it that way.
From the very first month of Clark’s rookie season, she absorbed controversial hits from opposing players, sparking outrage among many fans. Some referees have also come under heavy scrutiny for how they’ve handled those moments.
The hits on Clark have sparked ensuing , sexual orientation and politics.
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Here’s how it’s all gone down:
Clark was whacked in her first pro game in the Big Apple.
star Breanna Stewart sent Clark flying to the hardwood simply by standing still and setting a screen. Clark was blindsided as she ran full speed into Stewart without looking ahead.
The play was legal, and appeared more to do with Clark not seeing what was in front of her as opposed to Stewart intentionally trying to hurt Clark. But the hit still got the fire started on , with many brandishing the play as Clark’s “welcome to the league” moment, and some fans criticizing her teammates for not warning her of the screen.
Clark spoke her mind very early.
During an early-season game against the , veteran guards like Kia Nurse and Aari McDonald shadowed Clark relentlessly, full-court pressing her, face-guarding her, and bumping her off her spots every time she tried to navigate through screens. Clark ended up shooting 15 free throws in that game alone.
But even with all those free throws, Clark suggested the Sparks players may have gotten away with some more.
“I think everybody is physical with me, they get away with things that probably other people dont get away with,” Clark told reporters after the game. “It’s tough, but it’s a very physical game. That’s just professional basketball.”
Two days later, Clark was chest-bumped by guard Victoria Vivians.
After Clark hit a three-pointer, Vivians bumped into her, sparking a face-to-face exchange that resulted in double technical fouls for both players.
“I think just being competitive is who I am and what I’ve done my whole career. At times, there’s ways I can probably channel it a little better. That’s just basketball at the end of the day. That’s never going to change, I’m never going to lose that. Feel like I’m getting hammered,” Clark said after the game.
The “Caitlin Clark vs. the rest of the WNBA” culture war essentially began during Clark’s first game against the .
During a dead-ball inbound play, Sky guard Chennedy Carter approached Clark and delivered a hard shoulder/hip-check away from the ball, knocking Clark to the floor.
Footage of the foul set the internet ablaze with anger, and then even more anger in response to that anger.
The officials initially called it a common away-from-the-ball foul, but the WNBA retroactively upgraded it to a flagrant-1 violation the following day. This hit sparked a massive media firestorm â even reaching mainstream daytime talk shows â about whether Clark was being unfairly targeted with non-basketball plays and whether her teammates were doing enough to protect her on the court.
Meanwhile, many long-time WNBA fans opted to defend Carter, claiming the criticism against her was racially charged.
Carter prompted more scrutiny with her post-game press conference, when she refused to answer any “Caitlin Clark questions.”
Just one day after getting leveled by Carter, Clark suffered a ruptured eardrum during a play with former league MVP Jonquel Jones.
During a game against the Liberty, as Clark chased her matchup around the perimeter, she slammed into Jones’s screen. Clark could immediately be seen grabbing the side of her head and motioning to the bench. She briefly left the game to get checked out.
Weeks later, Clark revealed to
