Furious Caitlin Clark Receives Warning After Screaming in Referee's Face
It has been a frustrating WNBA season for Indiana Fever All-Star guard Caitlin Clark.
While it’s nowhere near as bad as last year, when she was limited to 13 games with various injuries, Clark has been managing a nagging back ailment. Over the past three weeks, Clark has missed two games and been on a minutes restriction.
Clark started for the Fever (14-10) against the Golden State Valkyries (18-7) on Wednesday, July 15, but she struggled with 13 points on 4-for-14 shooting, including 1-for-8 from 3, and her usual six assists in 26 minutes.
The Fever lost, 88-75, but before that, Clark lost her cool.
Midway through the second quarter, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick drove to the hoop for a layup, made contact with Valkyries center Kiah Stokes, landed hard on the floor, and came up limping.
Clark was visibly labored during the Valkyries’ ensuing possession and, once play stopped, became extremely animated. Clark screamed in the referee’s face and received a warning.
After the game, Clark addressed the play and its aftermath.
“I got kneed right in the quad,” Clark said during her postgame press conference. “Like, that hurts. The ref can’t miss that, and then I have to play with a contusion in my leg the rest of the game. It’s ridiculous. You can’t miss calls like that.”
When asked if she received an explanation on the floor, Clark said, “She said I initiated the contact, which is fine. You can’t knee me in the leg [and] knock me over.”
Clark also disclosed she was “struggling a little bit to find a flow” due to her minutes restriction and credited the Valkyries as “probably the best defensive team in the league.”
Clark has not been shy to criticize the officiating. Three weeks ago, Clark received a technical foul - her fifth of the season - for clapping during a scrum between the Fever and Phoenix Mercury. After the game, Clark unloaded.
“Yeah, it’s ridiculous,” Clark said after the Fever’s win over Phoenix on June 23. “I got a technical for clapping. We should all just go on the calendar now and pick a game that I’m gonna be suspended for if I’m gonna get technicals for clapping. I asked [game official] Gerda [Gatling]. Gerda said that I got a technical for clapping, so if any technical should be taken away, it should be that one.”
Clark added, “I mean, I’m gonna play with emotion, I’m gonna play with passion, and if they’re gonna give me a technical foul for clapping, then so be it. That’s their choice. The league can come back and review that play, and I’d love to hear what they say.”
The Fever appealed, but the WNBA did not rescind Clark’s technical, per ESPN’s Kareem Copeland.
Clark is averaging 20.1 points, 7.8 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in her third WNBA season. She was voted a starter for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game - her third All-Star selection - scheduled for Saturday, July 25, in Chicago. The Fever will next host the Seattle Storm (6-20) on Friday, July 17.
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This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 10:07 PM.