Caitlin Clark had just put together yet another historic performance, as she put up 34 points in 34 minutes of play against the Connecticut Sun. However, during the 111-91 Fever win on August 28, it was a brief sideline exchange that stole the fans’ attention from the star guard’s latest offensive masterclass.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
As the Fever demolished the Sun with a 20-point win, cameras caught Clark having an animated exchange with assistant coach Briann January during a timeout with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter and with Indiana leading 93-82. The exchange was caught on the official broadcast, then was clipped and posted to X by Sports Patriot.
However, this wasn’t the first time such an exchange had taken place between the two. On May 17, when the Fever beat the Seattle Storm 89-78, Clark and January were seen arguing while on the sidelines. Cameras showed the defensive mastermind coach going back and forth as Clark had a look of frustration. After the conversation ended, Clark moved further down the bench.
However, the exchanges between the two shouldn’t be a sign of any major rift, as they have shown to be professional and cordial, including joking around with each other at times. For example, on January 17, the WNBA account posted the coach working out with young players in London, and Clark added the post to her Instagram Story with a caption.
“I know she had these poor kids just repping defensive slides for hours 😭 @bjan_20,” she wrote.
Despite this, the fans focused only on the heated exchange of words. This led the comments under the X post to be filled with critical opinions about Clark and the backlash against January.
One fan wrote, “So due to her stats , or for that matter anyone, who has good stats , should not be corrected?? That’s why you have Coaches ! To see what the athletes can’t, on the court… I am just happy that this coach is not afraid to do her job !”.
Another fan’s comment was along a similar tangent, as they wrote, “Why don’t you let the darn coaches coach? Whenever anybody has anything negative to say or due to toward Caitlyn Clark her fans go crazy. I believe this is the problem with the world. It’s always somebody else’s fault. Clark is a very uncomfortable player. She has paid to listen.”
This brings to light an important debate in the W about player individuality versus coaching. While Clark is one of the best players in the league, she still requires coaching to iron out the details. Fans often disagree on who knows the game better, players or coaches. But January is still well within her rights to correct Clark.
Another fan pointed out that Clark was not having the most skillful display despite the great statline. They wrote, “Why is it quiet when CC plays poorly? Just askin.” Another fan echoed this sentiment, narrowing in on a particular play which they thought was subpar. They wrote, “Love Clark but yeah Clark didn’t switch on the down low pick and they made an easy layup. Even my daughter saw it.”
One commenter summarized the entire fiasco with a pertinent three-word comment.
“It’s called coaching.”
Most recently, against the Sun, Caitlin Clark logged an explosive 34 points and 12 assists, following up a 37-point, 10-assist game against the Chicago Sky a few days earlier. Notably, she became the first player to log consecutive games with 30+ points and 10+ assists, per a WNBA post on X.
But that doesn’t make her immune to making mistakes. Caitlin Clark is a generational talent, but she is allowed to drop the ball, which is where coaches step in. January isn’t the only person on the coaching staff Clark has been seen publicly arguing with. Anyone who has followed the Fever this season would know that earlier in the season, the issues extended to head coach Stephanie White. Both parties have come out since then and clarified that they are on good terms.
In any case, until we know what the actual words said between Caitlin Clark and January were, chances are the footage is far more dramatic than whatever actually happened.