Tamika Catchings Calls for WNBA to Protect Players After Foul on Caitlin Clark

Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings has criticized a hard foul on Caitlin Clark, saying the WNBA needs to do a better job of protecting its players. The foul, which was initially called a common foul but was later upgraded to a flagrant-1, has sparked debate on social media and television.

Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings has called on the WNBA to do a better job of protecting its players after a hard foul on Caitlin Clark ignited hot takes on social media and television.

Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter delivered the hip check on Clark in the third quarter of the team's 71-70 loss to the Fever. Carter was initially hit with a common foul, but it was later upgraded to a flagrant-1 foul. Carter said Monday she had no regrets over the incident.

Catchings, who is one of the greatest Fever players in franchise history, called Carter's foul a "cheap shot" in an interview with USA Today. She said it was up to the league to do more to protect players from things like that.

"The cheap shot, I don't agree with that, I don't agree with that, especially that's where injuries happen," said Catchings. "The play itself was wrong. As a whole, we all have a responsibility to make sure that things like that don't happen, for anybody to get hit like that."

"From the league standpoint, you have to protect your players. The fact that the referees didn't take the time within the game to go and look at it, I was really surprised. I was at the game. I was really surprised that they didn't look at it and that they just kept it moving. That's not a basketball play."

Catchings said she knew how Clark was feeling as she was the target of cheap shots like that as well. She was the 2002 WNBA Rookie of the Year.

The former guard also said she told Clark she was available to talk about any trials or tribulations she was facing in the league.

"Obviously, Caitlin is a tremendous player, she comes in with a lot of success in the college game, I love her personality, love who she is and definitely happy to have her here in Indianapolis and I think she'll have a great career here and in the WNBA," Catchings added.

"There is a lot of weight on her shoulders, and she's handling it very well."

Clark was named the WNBA Rookie of the Month – her first award as a professional.

She is averaging 15.6 points, 6.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game in 11 games with the Fever.

Catchings' comments come amidst a growing debate about the physicality of the WNBA. Some have argued that the league needs to be more aggressive in protecting its players from hard fouls, while others believe that the physicality is part of what makes the WNBA unique.

The WNBA has taken steps in recent years to try to reduce the number of hard fouls in the league. In 2020, the league adopted a new rule that prohibited players from making contact with an opponent above the shoulders. The league has also increased the number of reviews it conducts on potential fouls.

However, some believe that more needs to be done to protect players. Catchings' comments are a reminder that the debate about the physicality of the WNBA is far from over.