Caitlin Clark, Fever Lose To New York 'Equality' (Errr, Liberty) On Controversial Call
Caitlin Clark leads Indiana Fever in return to court
Caitlin Clark was back in action on Saturday afternoon, providing a welcome respite from the off-court distractions this past week. Though as usual, those distractions weren't Clark's fault.
First there was a flagrant foul called on Clark against Angel Reese, who then charged after her.
Then the most recent example was the release of new video on social media of Brittney Griner, traded, of course, by the Biden administration for a criminal described as the "merchant of death," who appeared to mouth some racist remarks towards Clark and a ref.
Because the WNBA is the WNBA, Saturday's game between Clark's Indiana Fever and the defending champion New York Liberty had its own example of the league refusing to get out of its own way. The Liberty wore their alternate jerseys that say "Equality" on the front.
Why? Because it's part of the core mission of the New York Liberty franchise. As its social justice commitment page explains, "Black women and men comprise a majority of our team rosters. While many live their lives in the spotlight, they also face racism on a daily basis. We are committed to supporting our athletes and amplifying their voices for activism around anti-racism, anti-discrimination, and equal opportunity."
No one around the WNBA seems to care about the hypocrisy of the league issuing statements and launching investigations over alleged noises coming from the crowd, but ignoring one of its most prominent players seeming to hurl racially motivated comments towards another player.
This sport, this league, is permanently broken.
What isn't broken? Caitlin Clark's ability to create plays, especially for her teammates.
INDIANAPOLIS - Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever looks to pass the ball during the game against the New York Liberty on May 24, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark Shows Off Passing, Fever Can't Complete Comeback On Controversial Ending
As if to point out how absurd Reese's reaction was, Saturday afternoon's game featured a near-replay of the foul Clark made on her. During Saturday afternoon's game, Clark whacked Rebekah Gardner to stop an easy layup. And Gardner somehow avoided running over to get in her face about it.
The Liberty started hot, jumping out to a 55-46 halftime lead, despite Clark showing off her exceptional passing throughout the first quarter.
Despite continuously finding teammates for open baskets, Clark's struggles behind the arc continued in the first half, as she went without a made three-pointer. That ended in the second half though, including a remarkable four-point play late in the third quarter.
That came just a minute after taking on three Liberty defenders to put home a layup and give the Fever the lead.
Then, she made a deep three from nearly half court to close out the quarter.
The Fever were down by two with just under three seconds left, and Clark had the ball in her hands hoping to get a shot off. But Natasha Cloud got a hand in, knocking the ball away. While hitting a lot of Clark's arm in the process. She called for the foul and the refs sat on their whistles, ending the game.
The right way to finish off a game where the Liberty had 32 free throw attempts to 15 for the Fever.
It wasn't Clark's best game, by any means, with 10 turnovers and some poor shooting in the first half. But in a sign of how she can impact her team, even without her best stuff, she finished with 18 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds. She'd have plenty more assists if her teammates were better at finishing off open layup attempts. Still, it just wasn't quite enough. Though it might have been if the refs believed in "equality" like New York does.