Cameron Brink, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Credits: USA TODAY Sports

Are WNBA athletes roughing up Caitlin Clark deliberately?

Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter’s latest shoulder shove on Fever’s Clark has outraged many hoops fans and sports media alike, who are accusing other athletes of showcasing jealousy.

On ESPN’s Get Up, Monica McNutt broke down Carter’s shove and admitted that it stains the image of the league.

She also argued that the Sky guard was retaliating for an advertent elbow on her by Clark just a few plays ago.

McNutt stated that Carter is known for having an edgy attitude on the floor and the Fever guard should have known better before provoking her,

“Alright, Chennedy Carter, not a good look. Couple of plays prior, there is an elbow there, deliberate by Caitlin Clark… If anybody had done that, Chennedy Carter is likely to respond that way and that is a journey that she continues to be on.”

The 34-year-old emphasized that until the Fever guard adds strength to her play, she would keep receiving ruthless contact

. The ESPN analyst also observed that Clark’s experience of suffering rookie hazing isn’t unique and the elite names of the 2024 draft class are facing similar treatment.

She brought out the examples of her draft rivals Angel Reese and Cameron Brink who have had their fair share of ‘Welcome to the WNBA‘ moments,

“We could roll off years of clips of rookies of the WNBA having to hit their rookie curve. Her own classmate in Angel Reese had a collision with Alyssa Thomas who is one of the most physical players in the game of basketball…Cameron Brink has talked about Tina Charles, cuttin’ her up and outperforming her as an established veteran in this league.”

McNutt downplayed the notion that the league should not go out of its way to shield its face. Clark needs to soak it up and work on her body to get ready for such events, as per her.

However, these comments would not satisfy WNBA critics, who are calling for harsher punishments to deal with the animosity towards the All-time NCAA leading scorer. Did Cheneddy Carter suffer severe repercussions for shoulder-shoving Clark?

The WNBA takes action

During the game, Carter’s actions fell under the ambit of a personal foul. Upon revision, the league upgraded it to a Flagrant Foul Type 1. Thus, the livewire guard did face some punishment but that won’t be able to deter her much.

During the post-game conference, she refused to talk about her opponent, and then later on X, she mocked Clark for being a one-dimensional long-range spot-up shooter.

Meanwhile, Clark’s perpetual rival Angel Reese was fined as she skipped her media duties after the game. Perhaps, akin to her teammate, she also didn’t want to talk about her college-to-pro rival.

Additionally, after defeating the NBA Finalists New York Liberty, Reese took a shot at Clark for underperforming despite getting charter flight rights before anyone else.

While this form of treatment can surely be labeled as abhorrent, this is a part and parcel of the WNBA.

The OG fans understand the physical nature of the league and have often questioned the women hoops’ knowledge of fans in the post-Caitlin Clark era.

Thus, the league is under dual pressure in this situation and may rethink its strategies around the league’s talisman.