Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever (Photo via @TraeK_ Twitter)
A new viral video shows Caitlin Clark chirping Chennedy Carter before the latter delivered a cheap shot on the Indiana Fever rookie.

Caitlin Clark and the Fever welcomed the Chicago Sky to the Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon, looking to pick up their first home win of the season. Indiana barely held on for a 71-70 victory to snap a three-game losing skid.

Things oftentimes got tense between the two teams, including one moment where Carter delivered a cheap shot to Clark after the Sky made a basket in the waning seconds of the third quarter:

For those who didn’t watch the game, it’s easy to jump to conclusions and assume that Carter did this out of nowhere for no reason. But a new video shows that Clark was trash-talking Carter moments before the cheap shot, perhaps provoking the latter to the point where she decided to get physical:

After the game, a frustrated Caitlin Clark commented on Carter’s hit and told ESPN, “That’s not a basketball play,” per The Sporting News.

Clark and the Fever got the last laugh anyway with a one-point victory that dropped Chicago to 3-4 on the season. Clark finished the game with 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and one block. As for Chennedy Carter, she finished the day with 19 points, four rebounds and six assists.

WNBA Needs To Address The Cheap Shots On Caitlin Clark

Unfortunately, Chennedy Carter’s hit on Clark is far from the first cheap shot the 2024 first overall pick has experienced in her rookie year.

There have been several instances of opposing players getting away with blatant fouls, hits and cheap shots on Clark. And because the officials are missing the fouls and/or letting them slide, it’s only encouraging players to continue delivering them.

Clark is the face of the WNBA, and the last thing anyone needs is for her to get injured. Here’s hoping the league finds a way to address the unnecessary amount of dirty hits she’s taking.