The WNBA found itself at the center of controversy within 90 seconds of the first 2024 playoff game. During the Indiana Fever’s Game One in the best-of-three first-round series against the Connecticut Sun, Caitlyn Clark was left with a black eye. Rival guard Dija Carrington poked the unanimous Rookie of the Year winner in the right eye. Despite Clark falling to the ground in obvious pain, the foul went uncalled.
Fans were furious, labeling Carrington’s move as intentional. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also joined the thousands on social media, bashing the WNBA. He wrote on X: “Why does the WNBA let players wear gigantic nails if they use them as weapons? We’re lucky CC didn’t lose an eye here. Reminder, no foul call. Then Caitlyn played with one eye the rest of the game and had her worst shooting performance in months after this.”
This might be the reason why Clark had one of her worst shooting nights since she joined the WNBA. She only shot 23.5% (4 of 17) from the field, including 2 of 11 from three. Furthermore, the Fever were thumped by Connecticut, 93-69, and now face an early elimination. Kelsey Mitchell’s 21 points and Aaliyah Boston’s 11 rebounds were the only silver linings.
The more experienced Sun, on the back of mid-season acquisition Marina Mabrey’s game-high 27 points and Alyssa Thomas’ 15th career triple-double, dominated the Fever. As a result, Caitlyn Clark’s loss of performance under pressure left many fans irate. Was it the eye injury that caused her to struggle?
Caitlyn Clark owned up to her mistakes after the Indiana Fever’s tough loss. After being hit in the eye, she briefly joined the bench when the Indiana Fever called a timeout. Despite the pain, she chose to continue playing, though she made eight assists in her 36 minutes on the court — a mere consolation statistic.
In the postgame press conference, Clark did not blame Dija Carrington’s move for her failure.
