Caitlin Clark gets called for 5th technical foul. How many more until WNBA suspension?
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is two technical fouls away from an unpaid, one-game suspension.
Clark picked up her fifth technical of the season in the third quarter of the Fever's game against the Storm on Sunday afternoon after hitting padding on the base of the hoop in frustration following a play. Clark was not happy with the call, immediately pleading her case with multiple officials.
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Caitlin Clark picks up a technical foul seemingly for slapping the base of the hoop in frustration after the play.
She was not happy about it, pleading her case to multiple officials.
Clark is now up to five techs on the season. pic.twitter.com/xMYXdieHvZ— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) August 18, 2024
After the game, Clark said the ref told her it was “disrespectful to the game of basketball” for hitting the hoop base. She compared it to when she got a tech for saying “damn it” in college, adding, “I think he fired me up to play a lot harder.”
Clark picked up her first three technical fouls of the season in quick succession, getting her third in a game against the Storm on May 30 — two weeks into the 2024 year. Since then, Clark's technical count has dwindled, but she's still at risk with 12 games left in the season.
"Yeah, we're going to have a conversation," Fever coach Christie Sides said of Clark being two games away from a suspension. "I don't need Caitlin to sit out a game. So yes, that is, that is definitely going to be a conversation. She's just a fiery competitor. I mean, I don't want to take that away from her. That's the difference in who she is."
How many technical fouls until suspension in WNBA?
In the WNBA, a player is suspended for one game after they pick up seven technical fouls in one season. After that initial suspension, they're suspended again for every other technical they get (9th, 11th, 13th, etc). Players also have mounting fines for each technical — $200 each for techs 1-3, $400 each for techs 4-6 and $800 each for seven and more.
Clark isn't the only player nearing risk of suspension, either. Mercury guards Diana Taurasi and Natasha Cloud both picked up a foul in Friday's Mercury-Fever game, putting them both at six on the season.
How many technical fouls does Caitlin Clark have?
She has 5. She picked up her fifth on Sunday vs. the Seattle Storm.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caitlin Clark called for T. How many technical fouls for suspension?
