Rebecca Lobo Addresses Viral Caitlin Clark Flagrant Foul Concerns
Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark was on the receiving end of two flagrant fouls from the Chicago Sky during their August 30 game.
These were the third and fourth flagrant fouls the Sky have committed on Clark this season; marking an average of one flagrant per game played on the 22-year-old.
It also marks 80% of the flagrant fouls Clark has been subject to this season, and 13.8% of every flagrant foul committed in the entire WNBA this season, per acrossthetimeline.com.
Clark has received one flagrant foul by a non-Sky player (which was a reckless closeout by Los Angeles Sparks player Aari McDonald), making a total of five flagrant fouls committed against her this season.
While that volume may seem staggering, WNBA legend Rebecca Lobo added important context to these percentages in a September 1 X post.
"The below % is accurate, but the raw numbers are also important. This season Clark has been flagrantly fouled 5 times (32 games). In 2023 Satou Sabally was flagrantly fouled 4 times (38 gms ). In ‘22 Aerial Powers was flagrantly fouled 5 times (35 gms). (Research: @herhoopstats)," Lobo wrote in response to an X post about how Clark has been the recipient of 17% of the WNBA's flagrant fouls this season.
The below % is accurate, but the raw numbers are also important. This season Clark has been flagrantly fouled 5 times (32 games). In 2023 Satou Sabally was flagrantly fouled 4 times (38 gms ). In ‘22 Aerial Powers was flagrantly fouled 5 times (35 gms). (Research: @herhoopstats ) https://t.co/qztxgW0c8T
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) September 1, 2024
Therefore, while five flagrant fouls are certainly a lot for a player to receive over a season, it isn't unprecedented.
But Lobo didn't address the fact that Chicago has given Clark four of these, which is more concerning than the five total flagrant fouls.
With the Fever having eight more games left to play, perhaps Clark will break yet another WNBA record for flagrant fouls received in a season.
Although this is a record she'd probably prefer not to own.
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.