Fever guard says opponents target Clark after throat contact

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said opponents are targeting teammate Caitlin Clark and accused the league and officials of failing to protect her. Cunningham spoke on the June 27 episode of her podcast after reviewing video of a June 24 game. She said the contact to Clark’s throat was one of several incidents that occur without on-court calls.

The incident Clark drove to the basket, tripped, and fell.

As the ball rolled away, contact from an opposing player’s fist struck Clark’s neck. No foul was called during play. The league later reviewed the play, upgraded it to a Flagrant 2, and issued a one-game suspension to the opposing player. Clark left the game with a back injury and did not play the Fever’s next contest.

Cunningham’s comments “Unfortunately, this type of s–t happens every single game to her and the league and the refs do absolutely nothing about it,” Cunningham said. She added that no teammate saw the contact in real time. “If she did that to any of our teammates, we’d be pissed, but like they’re definitely targeting her and the league and the refs do nothing to protect her.”

league response Clark has received nine flagrant fouls since entering the league in 2024, the most of any player in that span. Four of those fouls were upgraded after the fact. ” The opposing team’s head coach said the league’s investigation did not follow standard protocol because involved parties were not questioned.

com) Clark has two seasons with the Fever after beginning her career there in 2024.