The rivalry between the WNBA’s Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever was once again marked by multiple flagrant fouls against rookie phenom Caitlin Clark.
During the fourth quarter of the Indiana Fever’s 100-81 victory, Sky guard Diamond DeShields committed a hard foul against Clark that knocked her to the floor. The foul came as Clark was dribbling down the floor on a fast break, at which point DeShields plowed into her at full speed.
DeShields threw her hands up in an effort to avoid the foul at the moment of impact, though she was called for a foul anyway due to the force of a hit. The Sky guard then helped Clark back up after the hit, which was later upgraded to a Flagrant 1.
This foul on Caitlin Clark is 100% not a basketball play.
Absolutely nuts this is still happening. pic.twitter.com/ONeYjFuFjK
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) August 31, 2024
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After the game, DeShields posted a string of hostile messages from one user. The messages referenced a tumor DeShields overcame in 2020. The benign tumor was found on her spinal cord and DeShields risked paralysis when she had it removed.
“Thank you God for covering me , I pray [you] cover those who wish harm unto me as well,” she wrote alongside a screenshot of the comments.
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The hit generated controversy on social media due to the history of the heated rivalry between the two clubs this season.
In June, Sky guard Chennedy Carter threw Clark to the ground with a vicious hip check that took place far away from the ball. An alternate angle of the incident found that Carter appeared to call Clark a “b**ch” before initiating the contact.
Astonishingly, the foul was not upgraded to a technical despite a clear off-ball foul and taunting displayed by Carter.
Carter refused to answer questions about the incident after the game and later attacked Clark on social media. “That’s that on that cause beside 3-point shooting what does she bring to the table man,” Carter wrote in reply to a post about her postgame press conference on Threads.
Clark was on the receiving end of another questionable hit from arch rival Angel Reese on June 16. Towards the end of the third quarter, Caitlin Clark was whacked on the headby Reese as she drove to the basket. Officials reviewed the play and assessed Reese with a Flagrant One.
