It was the best of times and the worst of times for Caitlin Clark on Friday night.
The Indiana Fever star became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points and 500 assists. However, her evening was disappointing overall, as she posted a season-worst stat line in a 90-88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries.
After the game, Clark chose not to speak with the media, per various reports.
Clark tied for the team high with 16 points along with six assists and four rebounds. But she also went 3-for-12 from the floor and had five turnovers, struggling against a tough Golden State defense. Between the record and the rough outing, it would have made for an interesting conversation for any reporter who spoke with the superstar following the game.
However, various media members said that despite requesting access to Clark, they were rebuffed. One Bay Area reporter said that Clark was physically available at the time but confirmed that team PR said she wouldn’t be doing post-game interviews.
Clark did speak with the media before the game. The new WNBA media access policy stipulates that teams can make only two players available for postgame press conferences, but additional players must be available for interviews if requested by media covering the game.
Clark is usually available to media following games, though she did miss post-game availability once due to a migraine. The Fever have not publicly noted any injury or illness for Clark as of yet.
The WNBA has fined teams and players for skipping out on media interviews in the past.
It’s been an interesting time for Clark as there’s a sense that the superstar’s honeymoon is over, so to speak. Criticism over a lack of transparency about her sudden scratch from a game last week led to frustration for Clark and her coach. Earlier this week, longtime sports commentator Cari Champion called out what she sees as “blatant favoritism” from the refs and the league office toward its “supernova.” USA Today’s Nancy Armour also penned a column around how Clark is courting criticism for flopping and other antics.
We would imagine that the team, or Clark, will soon offer an explanation for the lack of media access.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.