Caitlin Clark’s rookie WNBA season is turning into more than just a basketball journey—it’s a collision course of heated matchups, personal fouls, and intense rivalries.
Tuesday night’s Commissioner’s Cup game between the Indiana Fever and the Connecticut Sun added another fiery chapter to Clark’s already dramatic pro career.
Tempers Flare Between Clark and Sheldon
It didn’t take long for things to get chippy on the court.
Clark found herself locked in a tense one-on-one with Jacy Sheldon, who was giving her all kinds of defensive pressure.
Midway through the second quarter, Clark appeared to have had enough and barked back at Sheldon.
According to those courtside, she told Sheldon, “I can do whatever the f** I want to do,”* before giving her a shove.
That moment triggered a chain reaction. Marina Mabrey, Sheldon’s teammate, stepped in and gave Clark a shove in return.
Surprisingly, despite the physical tension, officials kept their whistles in check—no technical fouls were called.
Second-Half Collision Leads to Chaos
But the drama didn’t stop there. In the second half, Clark was poked in the eye while battling Sheldon again and responded by shoving her.
This time, things escalated—Mabrey returned for round two and sent Clark tumbling to the hardwood.
Fever players, including Lexie Hull, rushed in as the scene heated up fast.
In the aftermath, multiple technical fouls were handed out: one each to Clark and Connecticut veteran Tina Charles, plus an individual technical for Mabrey.
Interestingly, Sheldon managed to avoid a personal foul during the earlier scrap, though her eye poke was upgraded to a flagrant by officials.
Final-Minute Ejections Cap Off the Mayhem
With less than a minute left on the clock, the chaos hit its peak.
Fever player Sophie Cunningham committed a hard foul on Sheldon, earning a Flagrant 2 and an automatic ejection.
Sheldon, in the thick of it again, was also hit with a technical that got her tossed out too.
To top it all off, Connecticut’s Lindsay Allen was ejected for making contact with Cunningham during the confrontation.
Clark Has the Last Word on the Scoreboard
Amid the chaos, Clark found a moment of revenge in the fourth quarter.
Guarded closely by Sheldon, she drilled a deep three-pointer and shouted in the direction of the Sun bench as the ball splashed through the net.
She ended the night with 20 points—tied for the game-high with Tina Charles—while Sheldon was held to just two points.
The Fever ultimately rolled to an 88–71 win over Connecticut.
Rivalries Keep Mounting for the WNBA’s Rookie Star
Tuesday’s scuffle is just the latest in a string of on-court battles Clark has faced this season.
Just last month, she got tangled in another high-profile clash—this time with her old college rival, Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.
That moment came during opening weekend, when Clark knocked Reese down during a rebound play, leading to a standoff that had to be broken up by teammates and staff.
Reese, visibly upset, had to be restrained and walked off the court by a team official.
League Investigated Allegations of Racism After Fever vs. Sky Matchup
Following that incident, the WNBA launched an investigation into allegations of racism reportedly directed at Reese from fans during the Indiana-Chicago game.
The league ultimately found no wrongdoing on the part of Fever supporters.
Both Clark and Reese addressed the issue publicly afterward.
Clark called for respect in arenas and reminded fans and players alike that the game should be inclusive and safe for everyone.
“There’s no place for that in our game,” she said at the time.
Reese echoed the sentiment, saying, “It could happen to me, it can happen to anyone,” while praising the league and her team for backing her throughout the process.