Caitlin Clark isn’t expecting an apology from Skyguard Chennedy Carter, but in her eyes, that’s okay.
“Basketball is a competition,” Clark told reporters Friday before the Fever’s win over the Mystics. According to ESPN:“I get it. Sometimes emotions can get the better of you. I’ve been there a lot in my career. People are competitive.” [Carter is] “She’s having a great season. She’s played great basketball. She’s probably deserving of the No. 1 player of the year in my eyes.”
“She came off the bench and did a great job, she scored 25 points. [points] Coming in here last night really helped us win the game.”
During the Fever’s game against the Sky on Saturday, Carter body-checked Clark onto the court before an inbounds pass, but Carter refused to answer questions about what happened immediately after the game and said afterward that he had no regrets about what happened, but drew a lot of criticism on social media, including a post saying, “I’d rather you hate me.”
The foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 by the WNBA the next day, but the officials didn’t see the call at the time Saturday. Coach Christy Sides said it was necessary.
But it all led to thoughts about the physical abuse Clark has endured since being selected No. 1 overall, the reaction of his teammates and, in Sky head coach Theresa Weatherspoon’s words, a hard foul on Carter that was “inappropriate.”
“It’s not my focus,” Clark told reporters, according to ESPN. “It’s not something I think about day to day. I think about the team. I think about how I can be better. At the end of the day, this is just basketball. There are no grudges.
“Basketball is a sport, it’s a competition. You don’t always have good games. That’s not what basketball is about. I think people who play at the highest level understand that.”
And after those comments, Clarke played one of the best games of her WNBA career, just five days after being held to a season-low three points in a loss to the Liberty.
She hit seven 3-pointers and scored 30 points in the Heat’s narrow 85-83 victory over Washington on Friday, averaging 15.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
