‘Opportunity is up for grabs,‘ Caitlin Clark proved it right today when she went for a rebound. By doing so, she ended her 40 minutes of gameplay versus the Los Angeles Sparks with a triple-double triumph. After breaking others’ records, it seems she’s set on raising the bar higher by outperforming herself.

On September 4th, the Indiana Fever rookie scored 24 impressive points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists for her second triple-double of the season. “Of course, I knew,” she said of her last rebound in post-match interview with Action Network. “But honestly, we were just trying to get shots. I thought our defense got a lot better at the end of the game.” 

The Fever restricted the visiting team to 21 points in the final quarter and did so without letting them take a lead even for a single point. So when the game was decided by the finals minutes, “somebody had to get the rebound, so AB is joking, we always joke about stealing each other’s rebounds, so it’s fine,” Caitlin lets in.

Previously, she became the first rookie in league history to record a triple-double earlier in July. In a game versus the New York Liberty, she recorded 12 rebounds, 19 points, and 13 assists to set the record. But with the extension of the record today, spectators aren’t particularly thrilled, considering the 10th rebound came in the final second to get her the triple-double.

” Stat Padding” Critics storm amid Clark’s acceptance

With about 10 seconds left on the clock, Lakers Kia Nurse missed a three-pointer. Off the rim, the ball bounced left, where Clark was positioned as one of the three in the paint from Fever. Kelsey Mitchell, to the rookie’s right, held up her hands, letting Clark -nearer to the ball – take the rebound while Aliyah Boston stopped in her tracks right behind as the no.22 caught the ball. The scenario has dealt different impressions on the spectators.

“She was stat padding,” declared a user on X as Clark walked away with the ball, wearing a smile as the clock stopped.

And when spectators heard Clark’s “Of course, I knew,” it did not help the case for the rookie. “Admitting to stat padding rebounds is pretty hilarious here, not gonna lie,” added one of them.

“24-10-10… tough,” a post had claimed as Clark tied for most points today, led the game in assists, and recorded third-most rebounds among everyone on court. But it did not seem well-earned for some. “Stat padding is now considered tough,” penned a user in reply.

However, as mentioned, not everyone in the comment section is criticizing Clark, for they believe the ball did bounce towards the rookie. “That ball came DIRECTLY to her. If it had gone to Kelsey’s side and she ran to get it, that would be stat padding,” wrote a user arguing with another criticizing Clark for her recent comments.

“Clark was the only player even near the drop of the ball, one step, and it literally fell into her hands,” emphasized another.

At the end of the day, the main focus was to clinch a playoff spot and the team’s growth as a whole, for the rookie. “It’s selfish to just care about an individual award,” she had said last week. More or less, Clark stands as a dominant force.