Chicago Sky player Diamond DeShields committed a hard foul on Caitlin Clark on Friday night, sending the rookie star falling to the court.
During the Fever's 100-81 win over the Sky, DeShields slipped and crashed into Clark.
DeShields had his hands up to avoid the foul when he collided with Clark, but the impact was so great that a foul was called anyway. Clark flew forward across the court floor. DeShields then tried to help Clark up. The foul was later upgraded to Flagrant 1.
Footage of the foul drew criticism from many WNBA fans on social media.
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After the game, DeShields posted a screenshot of her Instagram notifications list, which included a string of hateful comments from users. The comments were about the tumor DeShields overcame in 2020. That year, she was diagnosed with a benign tumor in her spinal cord. She was at risk of paralysis during surgery to remove the tumor, and suffered from painful tremors while recovering from the surgery, according to Yahoo Sports.
“Thank you God for protecting me,” DeShields wrote in a screenshot of the comment. [you] Cover those who wish to harm me.”
Caitlin Clark drives to the basket against Chicago Sky guard Lindsay Allen during the first half at Wintrust Arena. (Kamil Krzaczynski/USA Today Sports)
DeShields' foul on Clark sparked a huge reaction on social media, with the Chicago Sun-Times publishing a photo of the hit on its back page Saturday with the headline “Foul Ball.”
WNBA great Sue Bird says Caitlin Clark is a playoff nightmare for other teams
The article's author released a statement distancing himself from the graphic content.
“To be clear, I do not choose the headlines or back-page photos in the Sun-Times.” Annie Costabile wrote for X“The article I wrote was about how the Sky and Fever have been completely different teams since the All-Star break.”
The incident was the latest in a series of hostile moments between Clarke and members of Skye this season.
Clark was the subject of an infamous illegal hip check by Chicago Sky forward Chennedy Carter on June 1. Carter refused to answer questions about the incident during his post-game press conference but has repeatedly criticized Clark on social media.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark speaks to the media before a game against the Phoenix Mercuries at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Aug. 16, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“So what does she bring to the team other than her 3-point shooting,” Carter replied to a post about the post-game press conference on Thread.
Clark took another questionable hit to the head on June 16 from Sky recruit and longtime college rival Angel Reese.
Sky Coach Theresa Witherspoon On June 27, she publicly slammed Clark to the media, telling reporters, “Nobody says more trash than Caitlyn.”
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On August 30, 2024, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Diamond DeShields of the Chicago Sky collided with Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and was called for a flagrant foul. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
ESPN women's basketball commentator Holly Rowe said the tough response from a team like the Sky was a positive for Kaitlyn and the WNBA as a whole.
“I love this, because it's supposed to be competitive. … I love that people are yelling and saying, 'Hey, prove yourself,'” Rowe previously told Fox News Digital. “I love this, because it's supposed to be cutthroat. That's why it's competitive, that's why it's a sport.”
“I think it's good for the game.”
Follow Fox News Digital X's sports coverageSubscribe Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals and interviewed notable athletes such as Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
Chicago Sky player fouls Caitlin Clark to the floor then posts the hate comments she got online
Chicago Sky player Diamond DeShields committed a hard foul on Caitlin Clark on Friday night, sending the rookie star falling to the court.
During the Fever's 100-81 win over the Sky, DeShields slipped and crashed into Clark.
DeShields had his hands up to avoid the foul when he collided with Clark, but the impact was so great that a foul was called anyway. Clark flew forward across the court floor. DeShields then tried to help Clark up. The foul was later upgraded to Flagrant 1.
Footage of the foul drew criticism from many WNBA fans on social media.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
After the game, DeShields posted a screenshot of her Instagram notifications list, which included a string of hateful comments from users. The comments were about the tumor DeShields overcame in 2020. That year, she was diagnosed with a benign tumor in her spinal cord. She was at risk of paralysis during surgery to remove the tumor, and suffered from painful tremors while recovering from the surgery, according to Yahoo Sports.
“Thank you God for protecting me,” DeShields wrote in a screenshot of the comment. [you] Cover those who wish to harm me.”
Caitlin Clark drives to the basket against Chicago Sky guard Lindsay Allen during the first half at Wintrust Arena. (Kamil Krzaczynski/USA Today Sports)
DeShields' foul on Clark sparked a huge reaction on social media, with the Chicago Sun-Times publishing a photo of the hit on its back page Saturday with the headline “Foul Ball.”
WNBA great Sue Bird says Caitlin Clark is a playoff nightmare for other teams
The article's author released a statement distancing himself from the graphic content.
“To be clear, I do not choose the headlines or back-page photos in the Sun-Times.” Annie Costabile wrote for X“The article I wrote was about how the Sky and Fever have been completely different teams since the All-Star break.”
The incident was the latest in a series of hostile moments between Clarke and members of Skye this season.
Clark was the subject of an infamous illegal hip check by Chicago Sky forward Chennedy Carter on June 1. Carter refused to answer questions about the incident during his post-game press conference but has repeatedly criticized Clark on social media.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark speaks to the media before a game against the Phoenix Mercuries at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Aug. 16, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“So what does she bring to the team other than her 3-point shooting,” Carter replied to a post about the post-game press conference on Thread.
Clark took another questionable hit to the head on June 16 from Sky recruit and longtime college rival Angel Reese.
Sky Coach Theresa Witherspoon On June 27, she publicly slammed Clark to the media, telling reporters, “Nobody says more trash than Caitlyn.”
Click here to get the FOX News app
On August 30, 2024, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Diamond DeShields of the Chicago Sky collided with Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and was called for a flagrant foul. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
ESPN women's basketball commentator Holly Rowe said the tough response from a team like the Sky was a positive for Kaitlyn and the WNBA as a whole.
“I love this, because it's supposed to be competitive. … I love that people are yelling and saying, 'Hey, prove yourself,'” Rowe previously told Fox News Digital. “I love this, because it's supposed to be cutthroat. That's why it's competitive, that's why it's a sport.”
“I think it's good for the game.”
Follow Fox News Digital X's sports coverageSubscribe Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals and interviewed notable athletes such as Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
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