Jason Whitlock called out Caitlin Clark for playing the “victim” during Monday’s game against Alyssa Thomas and the Phoenix Mercury. Whitlock reacted to a fourth-quarter incident where Thomas apparently elbowed Clark. The Indiana Fever star was chasing Thomas, who was on the ball. To create separation, the Mercury guard may have gotten more physical than needed.
Clark reacted as if she had been hit, and the referee blew the whistle. It initially seemed like Thomas was at fault. However, after the Mercury reviewed it, the referee deemed that Clark initiated the illegal contact and awarded Thomas two free throws. Clark was shocked at the call and kept questioning the referee over it. Reacting to Clark’s outburst, Whitlock said:
“Caitlin flopped. The elbow never landed. Quit playing victim.”
Clark had the last laugh, though, as Thomas missed both her shots at the line. Clark clapped and celebrated the moment. The Fever star also earned bragging rights after leading the team to an 86-77 comeback win. Indiana trailed 19-3 at the start but recovered after a phenomenal 15-point second quarter from Clark.
She finished with 24 points and nine assists, shooting 47.1% from the field. Clark recorded her sixth straight game with at least 20 points and five assists, the most for any player in WNBA history.
On the other hand, Thomas managed 19 points, five rebounds, and nine assists on 8 of 12 shots.
Caitlin Clark Was At The Center Of A Heated Fourth Quarter Between The Fever And The Mercury
The Fever and Mercury have had bad blood since last season, mainly because of DeWanna Bonner. She started the year with Indiana, but switched teams nine games into her Fever career, seemingly after a fallout. Sophie Cunningham revealed in August 2025 that she didn’t even bother texting on their team group about her plans to leave.
The rough breakup led to heated games last year, and the beef has continued this year. On Monday, in the fourth quarter, it began with Clark and Bonner getting into it. The duo got tangled and had words with each other. Shortly, Myisha Hines-Allen and Sophie Cunningham got involved.
Allen was ejected after consecutive technical fouls, while Cunningham, Clark, and Bonner also got one technical foul each.
After the game, Caitlin Clark ripped into the officials over her technical foul for clapping. She’s now three techs away from an automatic one-game suspension.
Read more:
- “This Woman is a Politician”: Caitlin Clark’s Fans Ridicule Stephanie White For Not Defending Star Over Technical Fouls
- Caitlin Clark Gets Honest About 4th Quarter Melee After Run-Ins With Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner
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