Jason Whitlock says Caitlin Clark ‘made a fool out of herself’ by failing to control her emotions in the Indiana Fever’s loss to Minnesota Lynx – and the WNBA star herself admitted she must do better to stay composed.
Clark repeatedly clashed with referees during the Friday night game and at one moment, when she thought she was fouled contesting a rebound, stayed down on the floor rather than getting back to help defend.
The Lynx beat Clark and the Fever 99-88, with Clark still scoring 25 points on the night.
Whitlock, who usually praises Clark, wrote on X on Saturday: ‘Caitlin Clark made a fool of herself last night. Embarrassing performance. Her lack of emotional control and hyper-focus on arguing with and showing up the refs caused the Fever to lose composure and meltdown.
‘She has a well-earned bad reputation with the refs. No player in the WNBA spends more time whining and bickering with the refs. Last night she took it to a new level. She behaved like a 12-year-old entitled brat.
Jason Whitlock has slammed Caitlin Clark for her actions in Indiana Fever’s loss on Friday
‘This has to be fixed and addressed. It’s not a one-off. It’s been there all season. It’s gone uncorrected, so it’s getting worse. The Fever won’t reach their potential until Clark grows up.
‘Her lack of emotional control is the biggest obstacle for the Fever. She’s the leader of the team and Aaliyah Boston has followed Clark down the whiny path. It has to end. The refs, for good reason, do not like the Fever.’
Whitlock also shared the clip of Clark lying on the floor after not getting the call she wanted and simply captioned it: ‘Embarrassing.’
In a separate tweet, Whitlock said: ‘She showed these exact tendencies at Iowa.
‘The problem is getting worse, not better. I love her. But she’s a brat and diva on the court.’
Clark said after the game she needed to learn how to harness her emotions when refereeing decisions go against her.
‘I think there’s definitely a line,’ she said. ‘I was frustrated and thought I got fouled a couple times in the second half on mid-range jump shots. It happens.
Clark admitted she needs to be better at keeping her emotions in control during games
‘Sometimes you get calls, sometimes you don’t. It is what it is. I think I could have done a little bit better job controlling my own emotions.
‘I think there’s a line and sometimes your passion, your emotion can get to you, but that’s not something I would ever change or anybody on our team would ever change.’
Clark, whose Fever team have already secured a place in the playoffs, return to action on Sunday afternoon against Atlanta Dream.
