Caitlin Clark has once again stirred up social media after she was shoved to the ground by Chennedy Carter during the last Indiana Fever-Chicago Sky game. The 25-year-old shooting guard charged toward Clark, when she was off the ball, hip-checking her to the ground. Immediately after that, clips of Clark being brutally fouled spread all over the internet, prompting a response from Matt Barnes.
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When she was asked about the late-game cheap shot from Carter at the post-game presser, the Fever guard said,
“Yeah, that’s just not a basketball play. But you know I’ve gotta play through it, that’s what basketball is about at this level.”
Even though the rookie took it in the right spirit, Barnes had some issues with the way things unfolded. Puzzled by the lack of interest from the Fever team, the NBA veteran wondered why Clark’s teammates didn’t come to her rescue,
“My issue and my question is, where the fu*k are her teammates at? Where y’all at? Where the rest of the Indiana Fever at? I’ve seen a couple of girls smirk when she’s got knocked down, half-ass to pick her up, like, y’all are supposed to protect the asset.”
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Citing himself as an example, Barnes said that he protected Chris Paul and the late, great Kobe Bryant on the court when he played with them. In his understanding of the game, the key players who carry the team’s weight are an obvious target for the opposition.
So, as good teammates, and as a “family”, it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect them so that they can continue focusing on the game. He added that the team and the coach should be “ashamed”, concluding, “No wonder why you’ll sit at the bottom of the league right now because you don’t protect each other.” Barnes isn’t the only one who thinks that Clark is being mistreated by her team and the opposition.
Austin Rivers speaks on the Caitlin Clark-Chennedy Carter saga
The majority has sided with Clark on the recent fouls that she has endured on the court. After the most recent one during the Sky game, Austin Rivers also decided to address the issue. The former NBA star turned analyst uploaded a four-minute clip on his social media to talk about it.
Rivers said that, for the longest time, the WNBA and its athletes weren’t getting their due in terms of revenue or media attention. However, all that has changed now, and the least they can do is be thankful for the person who made it all possible. He said,
“If you girls were Destiny’s Child, she would be Beyoncé. If all the girls in collegiate sports were a band and they were NSYNC, she would be Justin Timberlake. She is the main attraction. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about that.”
Rivers restated that he doesn’t think Clark is the greatest of all time or even the best in her generation. But the one acceptable fact is that she has the most influence in women’s basketball and she’s an immensely talented youngster who will only get better with time. Moreover, she is just a rookie, and in time, she will get her much-deserved respect in the league. Before that, she has a lot to achieve on the court.
