The Gainbridge Fieldhouse was ready to see some fiery shots taken by Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso at their NCAA-turned-WNBA rival, Caitlin Clark. But who knew they would be in for much more drama? In a tight game where Fever got the better of Chicago, Chennedy Carter appeared to shove the first overall pick quite a lot. But it was what she did in the third quarter that caught everyone’s attention – or rather, their backlash.

In the final few seconds of the third quarter – when Chicago was trailing 49-53 right after Chennedy Carter scored a bucket – the 25-year-old intentionally bumped into Caitlin Clark without a cause, resulting in the two-time National Player of the Year falling to the floor. At the time, the officials called it an away-from-the-ball foul, and Carter got away with it. They reasoned that it happened before the inbound pass, but many watching on couldn’t believe it wasn’t called a flagrant foul. As they rallied online, directing their criticism at Carter, she shared a not-so-cryptic explanation for her actions.

Chennedy Carter took it to her Instagram story and added a message for her followers. Amid videos of that incident flooding her stories, the Chicago guard posted a picture presumably from the bus ride after the game. She advocated for herself amid the hate and wrote, “I grew up with all brothers. all we did is fight and argue… I love the hate more than the love. what don’t y’all understand. I’d rather you hate me [than] love me, and I mean that on my dead aunt 🏁🤍”

Because of all the talk around that foul for the rest of the game, Carter was bound to be asked about it in the postgame press conference. When a reporter asked about it, she simply asked for the next question. Subsequently, another reporter asked, “On the play before bumping in with Caitlin, it seemed like she turned to you a little bit…” The 25-year-old cut them off and said, “I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions.” The Chicago Sky head coach, Teresa Weatherspoon, too, jumped to her protection and deflected the questions.

However, in a recent development, the WNBA, upon reviewing the play from Saturday, upgraded the away-from-the-ball foul of the Sky guard to a Flagrant-1 violation. Over the course of the game, if a foul is not called, the WNBA office has the authority to reclassify a flagrant foul or overhaul a foul to a flagrant one. Further, the league has provisions to impose a fine or suspend a player for a flagrant foul. Call it the lucky stars of Carter or whatever you may like, but the WNBA hasn’t called for either on Carter.

In the same game, Angel Reese, too, got physical with Caitlin Clark and shoved her away. She even appeared to have celebrated Carter’s foul on Clark, jumping up from the bench and applauding. However, Chennedy Carter’s take on the entire situation has taken central focus. After being shoved around so much, what did Caitlin Clark have to say?

Caitlin Clark responds to Chennedy Carter’s aggression

On-court troubles do not seem to be leaving Caitlin Clark alone. In her previous matchup against the Seattle Storm, Christie Sides received a technical for protecting the rookie. While no one got a foul this time, the Fever’s star player was not exactly happy with the ruling. After understanding why the foul was not taken into consideration, the 6-foot guard also talked to Angel Gray, who was reporting from the floor. In the sideline interview, Clark told her, “Yeah, it’s just not a basketball play. But I’ve got to play through it. That’s what basketball is about at this level.”

In the press conference, too, when the reporters asked about Chennedy Carter’s action, she simply shrugged and said, “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting that, but it’s like, ‘Just respond, come down, let your play do the talking.’ It is what it is. It is a physical game.”

Although the Fever was not happy with their offense today, their immaculate defense got them the much-needed win. The Fever kept the visitors at 40.6% shooting from the field. They also highly reduced their beyond-the-arc shots to a mere 16.7% today. In comparison, they have an average efficiency of 33.33% from the 3-point line. We should see if Indiana can bring the same defense against New York in their second Commissioner’s Cup matchup.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.