Caitlin Clark reveals the savage moment she’ll always remember from rookie WNBA season – and it’s NOT Chennedy Carter’s body check
Caitlin Clark’s “welcome to the pros” moment wasn’t the infamous body check she received from Chicago’s Chennedy Carter.
Rather, the moment that sticks in the memory of the Indiana Fever came against the New York Liberty in May.
“We were in New York and Jonquel Jones put a good screen on me and actually popped my eardrum, ruptured my eardrum, just on a screen,” the WNBA Rookie of the Year revealed in Sunday’s interview with 60 Minutes. “It was a really good display from JJ. She’s a great player. But I think that just says something about the physicality of the competition. She kind of put me in the right place.”
Asked why that moment and not, say, her July 6 triple-double, Clark seemed proud that he survived the contact.
“It’s a good story,” Clark said. “I think it’s something I’ll always remember.”
Christie Sides and Caitlin Clark talk in Brooklyn after the rookie suffered a ruptured eardrum
Clark has committed some tough fouls this season, which some fans have attributed to jealous rivals reportedly targeting the first overall draft pick.
However, Clark has refused to point the finger at anyone.
When asked if he was stabbed in the eye by Connecticut’s DiJonai Carrington during a recent playoff loss, Clark told reporters she did not believe it was intentional.
And even as she was bowled over by Carter’s aforementioned hip check, Carter told the media that the Chicago Sky star didn’t owe her an apology.
But while Clark understands a mistake was made — she is, after all, a star player who dominates the ball — others have accused league players of targeting her.
“Is she facing the rookie challenge, the hardships inherent in being a rookie? Yes,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma told reporters in June. ‘She is also being targeted.
‘I don’t remember when [Michael] Jordan came into the [NBA]Guys who wanted to beat him up,” Auriemma continued. ‘I don’t remember when [Larry] Bird and magic [Johnson] came into the league and elevated the NBA, becoming targets and getting beat up just because of who they were and the attention they got.”
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) owns the ball in her first playoff series
The harassment allegations come days after Carter shot Clark with his shoulder during Chicago’s loss to Indiana
A rival interviewed for the 60 Minutes piece expressed her delight at Clark’s arrival, which has fueled the league’s popularity.
When asked what the biggest change is this season, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier told 60 Minutes, “Folks, that’s what we want. It makes the game so much fun.”
WNBA games averaged 9,807 fans in 2024, a significant increase from last season’s 6,615 per night.
The WNBA said 2,353,735 fans attended WNBA games, the most in 22 years. Teams combined to sell out 154 games this season, after just 45 in 2023.
Three games drew more than 20,000 fans, including a record 20,711 when the Clark-led Fever visited the Washington Mystics on September 19. The other two also involved the Fever: 20,366 against the Las Vegas Aces on July 2 and 20,333 against the Mystics on July 2. June 7.
Clark’s impact was a major reason for the increased interest in the league. The Fever set a home attendance record of 340,715 fans in a single season.