No one expected that Caitlin Clark would pull up a page right out of Victor Wembanyama’s book. But that is exactly what happened after the Indiana Fever’s narrow 90–88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries at the Chase Center. The star guard skipped her post game media availability.

According to Joseph Dycus of The Mercury News, Clark was not made available to reporters after the game. 

“Caitlin Clark was not made available to the press after the Valkyries beat the Fever 90-88,” Dycus shared in a post. Nathan Canilao from Bay Area News HQ also shed further light on it. He said that, irrespective of Clark’s appearance in the pregame interview, the Fever guard was supposed to be present for an additional post-game interview, as per the rule.

“Doesn’t matter league policy states Tier 1 media is allowed postgame “additional interviews”, he wrote. “Joseph is a Tier 1 media member. I was there for her pregame presser. But people write stories based on the outcome of the game.”

Now, it’s a standard rule in the WNBA that, after any WNBA game, accredited tier-1 journalists can request that the team’s PR team arrange an additional interview with a specific player. The rule is binding on Clark, especially because of her absence from Clark’s post-game press conference, where Aliyah Boston and Raven Johnson assisted Stephanie White after the loss.

According to Dycus, he had asked the Fever PR team to talk to Clark, but was denied permission. “I asked Fever PR to talk to her, and they said she was not going to talk tonight,” he wrote in his post.

However, the Indiana Fever’s PR team hasn’t issued any statement regarding Clark’s absence. The reason for the same is thus unclear. From a game’s perspective though CC had a disappointing outing at the Chase Center. She scored 16 points and finished the night with less than 20 points in her tally.

This situation does draw comparison to the NBA, where Victor Wembanyama recently missed postgame media after a playoff loss. That later prompted a warning from the league and fumed the discussion about how strictly media rules should be enforced for high-profile players. For now though Clark’s issue seems to be like an isolated one, because during her time in the league, Clark has never missed a media availability. As a first-time offender, Clark might escape with a strict warning. But a repetition can lead to a fine for her.

While Caitlin Clark might escape a fine by a narrow margin, Becky Hammon’s situation is much worse. After the Las Vegas Aces lost 95-87 to the Dallas Wings, Hammon went on an angry rant about the referees. Her comments went viral on social media because she cursed at the referees and dared the league to fine her.

“I mean, A’ja Wilson shoots one free throw, Chennedy Carter zero, and Jackie Young zero. I’m f****** tired of that b*******. I’m not saying that they didn’t earn their 22 down there. But when Awak Kuier scores more free throws than Wilson, Carter, and Young combined, that’s a problem. We’re not getting the same whistle. Give me my fine,” said Hammon.

Hammon’s disappointment was prevalent. The Wings got 22 free throws in the game while the Aces had to settle for 12. This difference completely shifted the game’s momentum. It helped Dallas come back from a 13-point deficit in the second half to steal the win.

That doesn’t spare her from the rulebook, though. The WNBA has consistently maintained a strict stance on its players and coaches regarding their public criticism of officials. We’ve seen the league fine coaches like Cheryl Reeve for such takes. And it will be worth the wait to see how the league approaches Hammon’s incident.

Both of these post-game instances parallel how top basketball players and coaches get taken aback by losing. But for Caitlin Clark, her media unavailability certainly wasn’t the only concern on a dismal night in the Bay Area.

Stephanie White Addresses Caitlin Clark’s Torrid Night Against the Golden State Valkyries

For a player who shoots above 40% from the field, Caitlin Clark was far below the pecking order on Thursday. The Fever guard went just 3 of 12 against the Valkyries, including 2 of 6 from beyond the arc. This dismal night also explains the Indiana Fever’s poor shooting in the game.

The team took an impressive 73 shots on the court but scored just 30. In fact, Clark’s 25% shooting against the Valkyries is her worst of the season. When asked about it in the post-game presser, head coach Stephanie White heaped praise on the Valkyries’ defense to restrict Clark.

“I think she gets guarded a certain way all the time,” White said. “You know, 94 feet, lots of physicality, and you’re not going to give her easy looks. She had a lot of tough contested shots. So, I think they’re an excellent defensive team. And when they can get their defense set, I felt like they really dictated the pace and tempo because they were able to set their defense.”

The game was somewhat personal for Caitlin Clark. She was coming off an all-guns- blazing night in a win against the Valkyries on May 22, scoring 22 with four of nine from beyond the arc. She also displayed subtle aggression in the game, trash-talking Tiffany Hayes after scoring a three-pointer.

This game on Thursday was another opportunity for Clark to establish her dominance over the Valkyries yet again. Instead, it turned out to be a disappointing performance for the Fever guard. But CC will have to regroup quickly, as a formidable Portland Fire awaits them next on May 30.