Everything revolving around Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark seems to be somewhat polarizing right now.
Whether someone loves or hates her, Clark has been at the center of WNBA discourse this year more than ever, though it looks like her popularity among referees is hitting an all-time low.
That was on full display again on Wednesday’s blowout win over the Connecticut Sun, as Clark was called for her seventh technical foul of the season.
When asked about it, Clark claimed she got the whistle for using a single word: “Scoreboard.”
Caitlin Clark gets T’d up for yelling one word
“She said she was locking me up, so I said, ‘Scoreboard,’ and the ref didn’t like that,” Clark said, per ESPN.
Of course, perhaps Clark shouldn’t have been in the game late in the third quarter when her team was up by more than 20, but that’s neither here nor there.
She finished the game with 27 points and 11 assists, but it came at a steep price, as she’s now just one technical foul away from a one-game suspension.
Even so, she’s just not going to change who she is or how she handles herself on the court.
“I’m never going to back down,” Clark said. “I think just continue to try to control your emotions the best you can. That intensity and that fire is what makes me me, but also knowing my team needs me and finding a good balance of that. But I don’t think I’m going to be playing with that in the back of my head.”
The discourse around Clark has rarely revolved around basketball lately, and that’s never where you want attention to go.
Whether she’s to blame for how some around and outside of the league perceive her is a debate for another day, but she has to think about her team and how her absence will affect them.