The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup opener between Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky lived up to its hype. In a back-and-forth battle, the hosts managed to hold their nerves and register a gritty 71-70 victory over Chicago. While many expected Angel Reese to square off against Caitlin Clark, it was the veteran Chennedy Carter who decided to extend some bitter pleasantries with the rookie.

Late in the third quarter with the Fever leading 53-47, an assist from Marina Mabrey resulted in a stunning 18-foot pullup jump shot from Chicago’s No.7. Soon after, she marched on towards Clark and vigorously shouldered her that resulted in the 6-foot guard tumbling on to the ground. The referees briefly reviewed the situation but didn’t deem it to be a flagrant or technical foul. However, the play resumed after an away-from-play foul was issued against Carter.

Following this, there has been severe outrage by Clark’s fans against the shooting guard. To tackle the abuses on Instagram, Carter came up with a solution. She has now turned off her comments section on each of her uploaded posts. That is not all, as just after the game, Carter was asked to reflect on her actions in the post-game media address. To which she responded, “I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.”

On the other hand, the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer termed the antics as “not a basketball play.” She further added, “I wasn’t expecting that. But it’s just like, respond, calm down and let your play do the talking. It is what it is. It’s a physical game, go make the free throw and then execute on offense. Feel like that’s what we did.” 

Not only the fans but some eminent basketball names are also not pleased by the incident.

Linn Dunn backs Caitlin Clark

Fever GM Lin Dunn has come out in support of the rookie and slammed Chennedy Carter for her actions. Seemingly, she used her X account to convey her frustration. Dunn said, “There’s a difference between tough defense and unnecessary targeting actions. It needs to stop! The league needs to  clean up” the crap! That’s NOT who this league is!!”

The skirmish is grabbing a lot of eyeballs. Following the instance, Fever reporter, Pat Boylan called out the officiating and stated there was nothing “basketball play” about the move. Head coach Christie Sides also followed to call Carter’s move unacceptable. “Something has to be done!” she expressed.

Nonetheless, for Indiana and Caitlin Clark, the game provided them with a much-needed victory. Clark finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Now, the fans will be hoping they can carry on this momentum in their upcoming fixtures. A formidable opponent in the form of defending Commissioner Cup champions is waiting for them next.