Sun’s DiJonai Carrington Ruthlessly Mocked Caitlin Clark for Flopping

June 11, 2024 Jimm Sallivan

Getting to the foul line is a key part of Caitlin Clark’s offensive bag, which sometimes leads to the rookie superstar embellishing contact from defenders in order to secure a foul call from officials.

Clark was awarded a foul during Monday’s tilt between the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun after officials deemed that DiJonai Carrington reached in while trying to steal the ball.

Carrington clearly did not agree with the assessment from the referees, and she made clear that she felt Clark had flopped on the play. After hearing the whistle sound and the official call her number for a foul, Carrington comically mimed Clark’s flopping antics.

Dijonai Carrington and Caitlin Clark 💀
(via @WNBA) pic.twitter.com/50pzPgW6Jf

— Overtime (@overtime) June 10, 2024

Carrington appeared to bump Clark while she tried to drive to the basket, which is what prompted the whistle from the referee. That didn’t sit well with Carrington, who indicated to the official that Clark had sold the contact with a flop.

Ultimately, it was Carrington and the Sun who got the last laugh. They picked up an 89–72 victory on their home court, marking the third time this season they’ve beaten Indiana. Clark was a game-worst -30 and had just 10 points on the night while Carrington led all scorers with 22 points.

6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

UConn’s Geno Auriemma Believes Caitlin Clark Is Being ‘Targeted’ in WNBA

Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark has been the biggest storyline of the 2024 WNBA season—from her debut last month against the Connecticut Sun to her 30-point gem against the Los Angeles Sparks to her occasional on-court struggles.

Geno Auriemma, who coached many current WNBA stars at UConn—from Diana Taurasi to Napheesa Collier to Breanna Stewart—weighed in on the on-court physicality that Clark has dealt with over her first 11 games.

"Is she facing the rookie challenge, the rookie hardships that are inherent with being a rookie? Yes," Auriemma told reporters in Connecticut on Tuesday. "She's also being targeted."

During the third quarter of the Fever's 71–70 win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday, Chennedy Carter slammed into Clark away from the basketball during an inbounding play. Clark said the foul was "not a basketball play," and Carter's coach Teresa Weatherspoon later said it was "not appropriate."

"I don't remember when [Michael] Jordan came into the [NBA], guys looking to go out and beat him up," Auriemma said. "I don't remember when [Larry] Bird and Magic [Johnson] came in the league and elevated the NBA, them getting targeted and getting beat up just because of who they were and the attention they were getting.

"Appreciate the fact that now's the time [for the WNBA]. I get it. It's long overdue. Why are you blaming that kid? It's not her fault, because you would trade places with her in a minute, but you are not there. You're not her. So, you're [complaining] that she's getting what she's getting."

After playing 11 games in less than three weeks, Clark and the Fever are resting until Friday night's matchup against the Washington Mystics.

4 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Fever’s Attendance Surpasses Last Season’s Record Total After Just Five Games

The Indiana Fever have been the hottest ticket in women's basketball, having hosted the largest audiences in the WNBA throughout the first few weeks of the season.

Since drafting former Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, the Fever have been selling tickets at unprecedented rates. In fact, the Fever's home attendance through five games this season has already surpassed their total home attendance from last year, according to Front Office Sports.

Data from Across the Timeline indicates that Indiana is averaging a league-high 16,571 fans at their home games. They've already had a total attendance of 82,857 in their first five home games, which is more than their 2023 season total of 81,336, which was the second lowest in the league.

No team in the WNBA averages more fans home or away than the Indiana Fever.
Caitlin Clark's Fever has already broken its franchise attendance record set last season—in just five games.
More ⬇️
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 4, 2024

The impact Clark has had on ticket sales is undeniable. The Fever averaged an attendance of 4,066.5 fans last year, a figure which has more than quadrupled in '24.

That impact extends to the road, too. The Los Angeles Sparks hosted the league's largest crowd at a single game this season when 19,103 fans poured into the Crypto.com Arena for a matchup against Clark and the rest of the Fever.

In fact, in all but one of the Fever's road games this year, the home team has had their highest attendance of the season. The only exception was the Las Vegas Aces, as their home opener had a slightly larger turnout than their matchup against Indiana. At road games this year, an average of 15,315 fans have turned up to see the Fever, coming in well ahead of the Sparks (11,104).

1 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Caitlin Clark’s First Professional Trading Card Sells For $10,000

Caitlin Clark is now taking over the sports memorabilia industry. After dominating college basketball for the last couple years she was taken first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Now her first professional card, which is part of Panini's 2024 Instant WNBA Draft Night series, sold for $10,000 according to Darren Rovell's cllct.

"The Clark Blue Viper 1/1 Auto ranks as the sixth-most expensive recorded sale of a card for the Iowa superstar. It was sold in a Dutch Auction format, with the price dropping every five minutes until the product sells out. Because of heavy interest in Clark collectibles, no drop was needed to find a buyer.

In addition to the 1/1 $10,000 card, Panini also sold other variations of Clark cards, ranging from a base card, which was priced at $9.99, to a non-autographed variant of the Blue Viper 1/1 card, which sold within minutes for $3,000."

This is just the latest indication of Clark's lasting impression on women's basketball in the sports landscape. The ratings for the women's NCAA tournament were borderline unbelievable. Then 2.45 million people tuned in to the WNBA draft to see Clark get drafted. But people shelling out serious money for trading cards is an investment. According to cllct Angel Reese and Cameron Brink also had cards go for four figures.

With Indiana Fever tickets selling fast and for record prices, it's not a question of if the WNBA will see a ratings bump, but exactly how big will it be?

US Sports News

Sun’s DiJonai Carrington Ruthlessly Mocked Caitlin Clark for Flopping

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