Caitlin Clark being targeted was considered a conspiracy theory by many until now. Clark suffered through some hard fouls as a rookie, multiple flagrant fouls, which were seen as something beyond the physicality. Indiana Fever fandom theorized that it was a coordinated attack on Clark, particularly. But it remained in that bubble as the rest of the league shrugged those off. Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA Commissioner herself, said that it’s a ‘physical’ league. Legend, like Sue Bird, said the same. But now, Bird’s college coach, Geno Auriemma, has made an admission that can completely flip that narrative.
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“I do think there are some personal animosities in that league where people are going to take a shot at her unfairly,” Auriemma said on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch. “No question about that. Anybody can deny it all they want.”
Sophie Cunningham has said the same multiple times in the last two years. After Alyssa Thomas put her fist on Clark’s throat, Cunningham doubled down further.
“Unfortunately, this type of s— happens every single game to her, and the league and the refs do absolutely nothing about it,” she said.
Previously, Cunningham admitted that the Mercury locker room, which she was a part of, wanted to show rookie Caitlin Clark “what the W really is.” But it was more for Clark in comparison with other rookies, according to Cunningham.
It’s not only her; Fever coach Stephanie White called the way Clark is officiated “absolutely unacceptable.” In 2024, Christie Sides sent multiple such plays to the league for review, receiving minimal results. But this was limited to Fever stakeholders up to this point. Now, Auriemma is laying it bare.
“If I’m wrong, then there would be a lot more people coming to her defense, and they’re not. Neither am I, because I don’t coach in the league and I don’t play in the league,” Auriemma said. “It shouldn’t be a national referendum. There are players in that league who would love to kick her a– every minute of every day.”
Now, it is important to note that it does not automatically become true that Clark is being targeted. But Auriemma’s opinion does give it a strong leg to stand on. Because Auriemma is far from Clark’s biggest fan. In the same breath, he called Caitlin Clark fans “delusional” for overstating her impact in the league.
“You’re not going to have a Larry Bird or Magic Johnson effect on the court,” he said.
Auriemma further called the treatment Clark receives pretty normal for being the No. 1 pick and said the ‘targeting’ is not exclusive to her but to top picks in general. But after the outrage over Clark’s treatment, the Alyssa Thomas incident might cause the tide to change.
Auriemma giving more credibility to the narrative now has another effect. Every foul on Caitlin Clark from here onwards will be viewed through a different lens. It will have more scrutiny; the referees will be under pressure to call each foul on her.