eattle Storm’s Skylar Diggins-Smith is facing major backlash from fans after taking what many are calling a cheap shot at Indiana Fever’s rookie star, Caitlin Clark, during Sunday’s game.
Clark, who led the Fever to a commanding 92-75 victory at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, has been turning heads all season as the No. 1 overall pick. However, her impressive debut has come with its share of rough play, including a notorious encounter with Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter.
The latest incident occurred as Clark was celebrating with fans after the final buzzer. Diggins-Smith, a seasoned 34-year-old Olympic gold medalist and six-time WNBA All-Star, was seen intentionally speeding up her pace to collide with Clark, sparking outrage among fans online.
Skylar Diggins-Smith has been slammed by fans online for taking a cheap shot at Caitlin Clark
Diggins-Smith (left) was caught needlessly bumping into Clark at the end of Sunday’s game
Unfazed, Clark kept walking and celebrating with the victorious home fans.
Diggins-Smith has been slammed on social media, however, with fans accusing her of being jealous of Clark and bitter about her success.
One wrote: ‘Jealousy causes hatred and its sad to witness.’
Another commented: ‘She even dipped her shoulder.. Clark has everyone on tilt in this league.’
A third added: ‘Diggs might need some time in the weight room. Clark walked right through that lol.’
‘Imagine being this jealous of someone who put your sport on the map,’ wrote another.
Another user said: ‘Typical jealous move. That player sucks. Such poor behavior!’
It comes after Dave Portnoy called for a WNBA official to be fired or suspended for giving Clark a technical and admonishing her for punching a stanchion on Sunday.
Despite another record-breaking performance by Clark, the post-game discussion centered around the tech and her exchange with official Tyler Ricks.
‘I got a technical for basically being mad at myself because I missed a three,’ Clark said.
‘And then I went and hit the backboard, and he told me it was disrespectful to the game of basketball.’
She went on to say that she should thank Ricks for inspiring her remarkable second-half performance.
Portnoy – an uncompromising Clark fan who recently bet $100,000 on the Fever winning this year’s WNBA title – was less forgiving. As he wrote on X, Portnoy believes Ricks ‘should be suspended or fired.’
Clark scored 23 points and added nine assists to help the Fever beat the Seattle Storm 92-75
Caitlin Clark delivered an impressive performance, scoring 23 points and dishing out nine assists to lead the Indiana Fever to a 92-75 victory over the Seattle Storm.
With 232 assists so far this season, Clark shattered the WNBA rookie record of 224 set by Ticha Penicheiro in 1998.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft has been on fire, scoring at least 20 points in five of her last six games. Over that span, she’s averaging 23.7 points on 47% shooting and 11.7 assists.
The Fever, now at 13-15, have matched their win total from the 2023 season with 12 games still remaining in the regular season. They have won back-to-back games since returning from the monthlong break for the Paris Olympics. Overall, Indiana has won four of its last five games and improved to 10-5 after a rough 3-8 start to the season.
