Caitlin Clark is here for basketball, not drama.
On Friday, the Indiana Fever rookie shared her thoughts on the media frenzy surrounding the controversial foul during last week’s match against the Chicago Sky.
“I’m not on social media, so I don’t see a lot of it, but you would be surprised …,” Clark said in response to a question from USA Today’s Christine Brennan. “My focus is basketball. Sometimes it stinks how much the conversation is outside of basketball and not the product on the floor, and the amazing players that are on the floor, and how good they are for their teams and how great this season has been for women’s basketball.”
As the WNBA continues to grow in popularity, it is natural that conversations surrounding the league and its physicality would take centre stage. However, the Iowa Hawkeyes graduate wants to keep things focused on the game itself.
“I think it’s hard for people to remember, like, I just love playing basketball,” she said. “This is my job, this is what I’m here for. I’m not here for all the other stuff. That’s not what my teammates are here for, either, and that goes for the rest of the teams in the league as well.”
During the Fever’s 71-70 win over the Sky on Saturday, Carter bodied Clark as she waited for a pass in the third quarter. The Fever star fell to the floor, and the referees called it an away-from-the-ball foul. A day later, the play was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 foul.
Indiana is back in action Friday, taking on the Washington Mystics at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.