Caitlin Clark is on the brink of a painful WNBA suspension

Caitlin Clark’s WNBA arrival has been nothing short of polarizing, as the league has experienced a huge boost in viewership. However, her continued availability is in question as she has played with fire with regard to a serious WNBA rule. All upcoming statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

There’s no question how passionate Caitlin Clark is about basketball, but her emotions have gotten the best of her on a few occasions this WNBA season.

During the Indiana Fever’s victory over the Seattle Storm on August 18, Clark punched the stanchion behind the basket with a solid amount of force. She was assessed a technical foul, which was the fifth of the season for her.

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According to Yahoo Sports, Clark said that the referee said she was being “disrespectful towards the game of basketball”.

“It reminded me of the technical I got in college where I said ‘darn it.’ It’s like a personal frustration, had nothing to do with my team, had nothing to do with the reffing, had nothing to do with the other team. It was just because I’m a competitor and I felt like I should’ve been making more shots,” she told Yahoo Sports.

Regardless, Clark is edging ever closer to receiving a suspension from the WNBA if she’s not careful.

With five technicals to her name this season, Clark is just two technical fouls away from reaching the magic number of seven, which triggers an automatic one game suspension.

If Clark was forced to miss any games, it would be a huge blow for the Fever, considering that they’ve vaulted up the standings to jump back into the playoff mix. One loss could make the difference between them qualifying for the postseason, or just missing out.

After the unfortunate technical against the Storm, Clark told Marca, “I think (the official) fired me up to play harder. We got better after that. So, in a weird way, I want to thank him.”

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Despite the unfortunate turn of events for Clark that puts her close to a suspension, her poise has seemed to improve as the WNBA season has unfolded. The Indianapolis Star noted that Clark picked up three technicals within the first two weeks of the WNBA, but only two since.

Coach Christie Sides knows how important Clark is to her team’s fortunes. “Yeah, we’re going to have a conversation,” Sides told the Indianapolis Star. “I don’t need Caitlin to sit out a game… She’s just a fiery competitor. I mean, I don’t want to take that away from her. That’s the difference in who she is.”

Technical fouls are also affecting Clark’s bank account. As the Indianapolis Star notes, WNBA players are fined $200 each for their first three technical fouls, $400 each for their fourth through sixth techs, and $800 each for every technical thereafter.

The fire that fuels Clark has been a theme of her career, dating back to her days at the University of Iowa. While still in college, she told USA Today, “It’s being able to channel that and use it in the best way. There’s always young girls with eyeballs on you, so you always want to be on your best behavior, but also play with that competitive fire and passion you always had…”

Caitlin Clark has affected the game in multiple ways—as a scorer, facilitator and dynamite shooter from the free throw line. She’s averaging over 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds per game.

In the same game she picked up her fifth technical foul, Clark set the WNBA rookie single-season record for assists, breaking Ticha Penicheiro’s record that was set back in 1998.

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Clark’s motivation to remain cool and collected is quite high considering Indiana’s playoff chase. WNBA legend Sue Bird said on the A Touch More podcast, “She’s definitely getting used to it (the league) which is, you know, trouble for everybody else. That’s why I (wouldn’t) want to see her (in the playoffs).”