WNBA Refs Under Fire For 'Terrible' Flagrant Foul On Caitlin Clark

Are WNBA refs mismanaging Caitlin Clark? Her fans sure think so.

Clark returned to action on Friday and made an immediate impact for the Indiana Fever, scoring 22 points in a 90-82 win over the Golden State Valkyries. Despite dealing with a sore back, she looked pretty efficient for Stephanie White's squad.

"I think, at the end of the day, it's me and my confidence," Clark said. "Coming back from injury and having however many soft tissue injuries [in 2025] is a real mental challenge."

While fans certainly enjoyed seeing Clark back on the hardwood, they didn't love the way she was officiated.

During the fourth quarter of the Valkyries-Fever game, Clark received a flagrant foul for setting a hard screen on Veronica Burton. Indiana fans made it abundantly clear that they didn't agree with the call.

"Seriously, wtf? This happens in the NBA all the time. Common foul," one fan wrote.

"It looked like a strong screen," a second fan said. "I don't even see a foul here."

"Tonight's ref crew was TERRIBLE. They were terrible last year and they suck just as hard this year," another fan declared. "The officiating had been pretty decent in the games leading up to tonight, but this crew in particular are the WORST and need to go back to ref school."

The WNBA will discipline Clark.

Under the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement, players are fined $500 for each of their first three technical fouls.

Clark, who just picked up her second technical foul of the season, is two more away from having that fine increase to $1,000. If she reaches eight technical fouls, she'll be fined $1,500 and receive a one-game suspension.

The Fever will return to action on Thursday to face the Valkyries on the road.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 8:51 AM.