“I think the physicality is out of control. It’s not basketball, it’s rugby.” That’s what Las Vegas Aces HC Becky Hammon had said earlier this month. And she’s not alone. From coaches to players, everyone’s been talking, or let’s say, warning, about how rough things have gotten this season. Yet, ironically, WNBA teams are still averaging 81.4 points per game. That’s barely a drop from the league’s all-time high of 83.1 in 2020. So no, the game hasn’t died, it’s just gotten grittier (maybe a bit too much, as many say). And if there’s one name that has somehow ended up at the center of every conversation about that physicality, it’s Caitlin Clark.

That Clark-Jacy Sheldon incident from the Fever vs. Sun game on June 17 is back in the headlines. And this time, it’s not just because of the shove, it’s because of Sue Bird and Tina Charles laughing about it on a podcast. But, before we get into that, here’s a quick rewind of what the controversial play was all about. During the third quarter of that game, Clark tried to drive into the paint and ran into her old college rival, Jacy Sheldon. However, Sheldon ended up poking Clark in the eye, following which the latter also shoved her opponent. The controversy further escalated as Marina Mabrey came barreling in out of nowhere and shoulder-checked Clark to the floor. Coincidentally, Charles even stepped in trying to defuse it at one point, which perhaps made her reaction later all the more dicey.

During Bird’s ‘Bird’s Eye View’ podcast episode aired July 11, there came a point when the duo started discussing the “scrum”. Notably, the retired star had sent Tina a bunch of pictures from that moment, including one where the Sun star had her hands up. Discussing the same, the duo started laughing about it with Bird saying, “I feel like it was like the perfect depiction of New York at the start cuz you were like, ‘No, no, no’.” That’s when Charles clarified that even though she had her finger raised, she actually didn’t do anything. “And what’s crazy is everybody’s like, ‘Yo, you punched it in the back.’ And I’m like, ‘Nah’,” she said.

Bird: “So that’s the funny part…Slide number one: Tina going, ‘Yo! Chill out,’ right after Jacy and Caitlin got into a little bit—you see Caitlin push her. You go, ‘Yo, watch yourself.’ Then Mabrey comes in…Knocks [Caitlin] down. And then you see Tina go, ‘It wasn’t me’. Immediately.” 

Charles [laughing]: “I’m still ,like, talking my s—, like, ‘Yeah, yeah. Just chill out. Chill out’. Everybody was like, ‘Yo, you took her back to Southside Jamaica, Queens’.” And that’s when Bird responded with, “Oh my god! So funny.”  Both UConn standouts had a good laugh about the whole incident. Expectedly, the exchange went viral. Sharing a clip, a Clark fan disappointedly wrote, “The idea CC laughing about Tina being hurt…umm”. Another user also shared the tweet and doubled down with, “Hugely disappointed and lost all respect for both Sue Bird and Tina Charles. How is this ok? Caitlin, don’t play Olympics if Sue has anything to do with it.”

Now, maybe they were just reminiscing and joking about the moment, but Fever fans aren’t finding it funny at all. 

Sue Bird slammed over Caitlin Clark clip

Now, to be fair, Sue Bird hasn’t exactly been anti-Clark. In fact, she’s been riding the Caitlin train long before the WNBA. She’s reposted Clark’s Nike billboard just this month on her Instagram story with love, and not to forget during March Madness, when Diana Taurasi picked Paige Bueckers as her No.1 pick, Sue Bird didn’t hesitate to go with Caitlin—though she did soften the take by adding a “they’re both good” disclaimer. 

But even with all that support, this moment didn’t land. Then came the fan who said, “Bird’s whole career is attached to this dumpster fire of a league, she’s one of them forever.” This whole “Clark vs. the WNBA” narrative isn’t new. Even the Fever is embracing the villain arc now. “We are circled on everybody’s schedule. No one likes us,” Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, who got Clark some revenge in that game, admitted recently. To add to it, not to ignore the UConn pipeline storyline here. A lot of folks believe UConn players get better treatment and have more pull in the WNBA.

Another person took it a step further, “Sue Bird should be removed from her Olympic role for this. Caitlin is a future Olympian and this is how she handles this? Unconscionable.” After winning five Olympic gold medals, Bird is now serving as USA Basketball’s first-ever managing director for the women’s national team. But now, fans are drawing the line. If Clark happens to be in the next Olympic mix, they’re saying Bird shouldn’t be anywhere near it if this is how she reacts to a dangerous on-court scuffle. Then another fan chimed in, “Yeah… this is poor work by Bird…” As fans continue to criticize her, this also comes when a huge stat difference between Bird and Clark is going viral. 

Even though Clark’s shots haven’t been falling lately, her playmaking has reached another planet. Through her first 50 WNBA games, she has more assists than any player in history over that span – nearly 100 more than Sue Bird herself managed. Bird still leads the all-time W tally with 3,234 assists, but at Clark’s current pace of 8.5 dimes per game, she’ll beat that in 382 career games. Bird needed 580. 

And then there was the quieter but pointed take, “I’m sure they both care.” This fan wasn’t harsh, but still made a strong case. Technically, they were laughing at Charles’ moment, not directly at Clark being shoved. And Bird herself has openly said that the physicality right now isn’t something most players want. Meanwhile, most vets, Charles included, have repeatedly said the W has always had physicality. Charles claimed that it’s actually softer now.

But all in all, it is a big debate at this moment, and being the ones who have lived and breathed this game for years, Sue Bird and Tina Charles’ comments might be under scrutiny for just a little longer.