“Physical play, intensity, and a competitive spirit are hallmarks of Chicago Sky basketball,” Weatherspoon said in a statement. “Chennedy got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game. She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate, nor is it what we do or who we are. Chennedy understands that there are better ways to handle situations on the court, and she will learn from this, as we all will. As a team, we will grow together and continue to work hard to display strong leadership and set a positive example for our competitors, fans, and partners.”
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During the third quarter of the Fever’s 71-70 win, Carter scored a pull-up jump shot to cut Indiana’s lead to four points. Before Aliyah Boston inbounded the ball, Carter appeared to mouth “you bitch” to Clark, shoulder-checked her and shoved her down to the ground.
“It is what it is, and I’m just at the point where you accept it,” Clark said postgame. “Don’t retaliate, just let them hit you, be what it is. Don’t let it get inside your head, and know it’s coming. At this point, I know I’m going to take a couple of hard shots again. And that’s what it is, just staying in the game and saying what’s important.”
The officiating crew originally called an away-from-play foul on Carter, and the WNBA upgraded the play to a flagrant 1 on Sunday.
After the game, Carter declined to answer questions about the incident during media availability.
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When ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike hosted “NBA Today” on Monday, she welcomed to the show Rebecca Lobo, who called the Sky vs. Fever game alongside Ryan Ruocco, to ask her about her reactions to the physical play.
“When I saw it originally, I was a little bit surprised [about] what just happened, and the officials did not go to the monitor to review it because obviously it was a flagrant 1 foul and unnecessary act that was not a basketball play,” Lobo said. “But honestly, I don’t think the officials saw it clearly even though it was right in front of one of them, or else they certainly would have gone to the monitor, but definitely a dirty play and one that should have been upgraded in the moment. I’m glad the league pretty quickly the following day did upgrade it to a flagrant 1.”
The WNBA also announced Sunday that Sky forward Angel Reese would receive a $1,000 fine for not making herself available to the media in the postgame. Additionally, the Chicago Sky received a $5,000 fine for failing to ensure players followed media policies after the loss.
The Sky (3-4) will welcome the New York Liberty (7-2) at Wintrust Arena on Tuesday, while the Fever (2-9) will take on the Washington Mystics (0-8) on Friday.
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Editor’s note (June 3, 10:20 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this story misquoted Caitlin Clark. She said “let them hit you,” not “let them hate you.”
