Sky-Fever fallout: Foul on Caitlin Clark upgraded to flagrant-1, Angel Reese fined $1,000 for skipping interviews
The Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever are still feeling the fallout from their close-run matchup on Saturday afternoon. The Sky came up short, losing 71-70, but the drama from the game is about so much more than the score.
The WNBA announced Sunday that Chennedy Carter's hard foul on Caitlin Clark late in the third quarter was upgraded to a flagrant-1. The play was declared a personal foul at the time and was not reviewed. Players can be suspended or fined if they've committed a flagrant foul, but the WNBA did not announce any punishment for Carter.
Chennedy Carter drills a jumper then lays a body check on Caitlin Clark that should get her a look from the Blackhawks!
pic.twitter.com/UlX2l6ZZDd— CHGO Sports (@CHGO_Sports) June 1, 2024
There is no justifying what Carter did, but it didn't come out of nowhere. Clark is a trash talker, and a longer clip of the incident shows that may have been what led to the shove.
Here's an extended look at the Caitlin Clark - Chennedy Carter incident, there was more to it than the shoulder check and Clark was clearly talking to her on the way back up the floor from the prior basket by Indiana pic.twitter.com/1XG1RyzTw4
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 1, 2024
The free throw Clark made on that foul ended up being the difference-maker in that game. It gave the Fever the one point they needed to beat the Sky and not only earn their second win of the season, but their first at home.
The WNBA took care of more Sky-Fever business Sunday morning, announcing that Sky rookie Angel Reese has been fined $1,000 for skipping her media interviews following the loss, and the Sky have also been fined for failing to comply with WNBA media policies by allowing her to skip media interviews.
No one on the Sky answered specific questions about the hard foul on Clark, though Reese is the only one who fully skipped her interviews. Carter was asked and declined to answer, while head coach Teresa Weatherspoon would only say "all they're doing is competing."