Women's Fastbreak On SI

Fever Fans Point to WNBA Hypocrisy Around Caitlin Clark After Viral NBA Flagrant Foul

Indiana Fever fans kept the receipts after an NBA flagrant foul mirrored a flagrant foul that Caitlin Clark received earlier this year.

Grant Young

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates a three-point basket Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates a three-point basket Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark was at the receiving end of five flagrant fouls during the 2024 WNBA regular season. Four of these flagrant fouls came at the hands of the Chicago Sky, and two of these four occurred during an August 30 game.

One of these August 30 flagrant fouls sparked a ton of controversy when it happened. It was when Clark got sent sprawling by Sky guard Diamond DeShields, who ran into Clark seemingly out of nowhere while the 22-year-old was dribbling the ball down the court.

The reason this flagrant foul sparked controversy within the women's basketball community is that DeShields only received a Flagrant 1 foul for it, which meant she didn't get ejected. Many Indiana Fever fans didn't agree with this decision, as they believed the contact on Clark was both unnecessary and excessive, which is what the WNBA rulebook declares grounds for a Flagrant 2 call.

However, many other fans ridiculed the Fever's fanbase for disagreeing with the Flagrant 1 call, claiming that they were only doing so because it was their beloved Clark who got fouled.

But these other fans' argument backfired when a similar situation happened in an NBA game on Friday.

Boston Celtics superstar (and potential future WNBA franchise owner) Jayson Tatum was dribbling down the court when Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams ran into him, which sent them both to the ground.

It looked more or less the same as DeShields' foul on Clark. Yet, Williams received a Flagrant 2 call and was ejected as a result.

Now fans are noting the hypocrisy of the two nearly identical foul calls receiving two different Flagrant distinctions, and that they were ridiculed for wanting DeShields to receive the same punishment that Williams got.

And they definitely seem to have a valid point.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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