Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever teammates should be “ashamed” for failing to protect their teammate, a former NBA star says.
Clark has been the subject of constant rough treatment from opponents during her rookie season in the WNBA, but on Saturday she was brutally insulted by Chennedy Carter of the Chicago Sky.
The #1 overall pick was knocked to the ground by Carter near the end of the third quarter Indiana Fever W.N.B.A match on Saturday.
TV replays showed Carter shouting “you b***h” at Clark before pushing her to the ground. Clark’s former college foe Angel Reese also stood up to cheer the punch on the sidelines.
But 14-year NBA veteran and former champion Matt Barnes leveled more criticism at Clark’s Fever teammates, telling them they needed to do more to protect the franchise’s star player.
Matt Barnes says Caitlin Clark’s Indiana teammates should feel ‘ashamed’ for failing to protect her
Clark has been the subject of rough treatment all season as her teammates watched
He said, “I mean, she’s been getting beat up all season. Hard screens, elbows, knockdowns,” Barnes said. ‘It is what it is; She’s not the first, she won’t be the last.
“My problem and my question is: where the hell are her teammates? Where are you? Where’s the rest of the Indiana Fever?
‘I saw a few girls grinning when she got knocked down, half an hour to pick her up. For example, you have to protect the property, protect the star. And even though this is a team, you always protect your star.”
Barnes, who played with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul throughout his career, was an enforcer herself at times and believes Clark’s teammates should stand up for her more.
‘I was someone who protected the stars. You f*** with Kobe, [Chris Paul]Blake [Griffin]the list goes on, it’s going to be a problem.
“You’re supposed to be a family. And you wonder why you guys are at the bottom of the league now, because you guys don’t protect each other, man. Coach doesn’t do anything with it, players don’t do anything with it. You should be ashamed of it.
‘But the rest of the competition will continue to test her. That’s what they have to do. It’s your boys’ damn job to have her back, and each other’s backs. I have to do better, ladies.”
Clark was inexplicably checked to the ground by Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter
And afterward, Carter took a dig at Clark on social media and criticized her play
While Carter declined to answer questions about Clark after Sky’s loss on Saturday, she had plenty to say on social media afterward.
Carter wrote of Clark on Threads: “…besides three-point shooting, whatever does that [Clark] bring to the table man.’
She also alluded to her feud with Clark in her own Instagram Story, writing, “I grew up with all brothers. All we did was fight and argue.
“I love the hate more than the love that y’all don’t understand. I’d rather you hate me [than] love me and I mean that to my late aunt.”
The situation also led to the idea that the Fever need an “enforcer” to protect Clark, as suggested by the Warriors’ Draymond Green.
Brittany Mahomes also supported Clark with the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes sharing a post on Instagram supporting the budding WNBA star.
The 28-year-old Mahomes – a former football player – wrote: ‘@caitlinclark22 keep doing your thing!!
“You are a baller and it is incredible to see what you do for the game and women’s sports!!”
Fans noticed that Clark’s friend Connor McCaffery liked tweets criticizing Angel Reese
McCaffery liked a tweet claiming Reese is “highkey, not good, she’s just bigger than everyone”
Colin Clark, Caitlin’s brother, liked a tweet of Reese celebrating Clark’s “murder” on Saturday
Clark’s friend and brother have also both joined in on the feud, posting tweets criticizing Reese.
Clark is dating her college sweetheart Connor McCaffery, and fans noticed that he frequently ‘liked’ posts criticizing Reese over the past year.
In one post, Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy calls Reese a “classless piece of s***” after her infamous ring party at Clark’s during their college years.
In another post, McCaffery liked a post that referred to Reese as “highkey not good… she’s just bigger than everyone.”
Clark’s brother Colin hasn’t been afraid to make his own feelings clear either, liking a tweet in which Reese “jumped off the couch to stage a parade for Caitlin Clark’s murder.”
In another, he liked a tweet claiming Draymond Green would have received “jail time” if he had done what Carter did to Clark in the Fever-Sky match.