Why Caitlin Clark could be punished by WNBA for failing to speak with media after tough loss originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Caitlin Clark endured the worst game of her young season in the Fever‘s 90-88 loss to the Valkyries on Thursday night. She didn’t want to talk about it postgame, either.
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The Indiana standout has looked every bit like the MVP candidate she has been billed to be this year, leading the league in assists while tallying more points per contest than all but two players — Kelsey Plum and A’ja Wilson.
She was unable to keep the good times rolling on Thursday night, however. Her reaction to her display could set her back a few dollars, too.
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Caitlin Clark skips media after loss
Clark had little to say after the Fever fell to the Valkyries on Thursday night. The Indiana star was held quiet in the two-point defeat, posting a season-low 16 points and six assists while shooting just 3-of-12 from the field.
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All-Defensive team-caliber defenders Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton made life hell for Clark, using their strength and quickness to pose problems for the Indiana standout.
They also attacked her on the other side of the floor, producing points in bunches when they went at her.
All that amounted to a season-worst display for Clark, one that looked to have her less than compelled to speak to media postgame.
Clark missed out on the postgame presser “despite standing about 20 feet from the podium 20 minutes after the game”, wrote the Mercury News’ Joseph Dycus.
MORE: Caitlin Clark makes WNBA history as fastest to 1,000 points and 500 assists
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Why Caitlin Clark could be punished for skipping media
Clark’s decision to not speak with reporters postgame is likely to result in a fine of some sort. Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton were each docked $2,000 after failing to speak with media following the Liberty’s Game 4 defeat to the Aces in the 2023 WNBA Finals. In June 2024, Angel Reese was fined $1,000 after failing to appear for interviews after the Sky lost to the Fever.
Given that precedent, Clark can expect to write a check to the league office in the next day or two. Her fine will likely eclipse the marks paid by her predecessors — the windfall in salaries following the passing of the latest collective bargaining agreement is expected to bring about an increase in fine totals.
