Angel Reese has been handed the first fine of her WNBA career, after a day of controversy surrounding her and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
Saturday saw the high-profile pair face off against each other for the first time in the WNBA, taking their college rivalry to the pros.
During the game, Clark was bodychecked and shoved to the ground by Reese’s Chicago Sky teammate Chennedy Carter, with ex-LSU icon Reese seen jumping off the bench to celebrate the violent action.
Reese has now been handed a fine – but not for her reaction to the on-court incident, despite it causing plenty of controversy online.
Instead, she will have to pay the WNBA $1,000 for ‘failing to make herself available to the media for interviews following the game’.
Angel Reese has been given her first WNBA fine after failing to stop for interviews on Saturday
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Caitlin Clark was inexplicably bodychecked to the ground by Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter
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Clark fell to the ground, but no Chicago Sky players were keen to speak about the incident
That amount is unlikely to do serious damage to Reese’s bank account, with the Sky rookie already having tied up millions in sponsorship deals throughout her time in college and now in the WNBA.
Her salary, though, is still relatively low, with her rookie contract paying out $324,383 across the next four years – an average annual salary of $81,096.
On top of Reese’s fine, the Sky organization has been fined $5,000 for ‘failing to ensure that all players comply with WNBA media policies’.
Carter, the Sky player at the center of the on-court incident, did speak to the media, but refused to comment on it and specifically told reporters she would not answer any questions on Clark.
Carter shoved Clark to the ground, with television replays appearing to show her yelling ‘you b***h’ at Clark before knocking her rival to the ground.
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Reese jumped up and cheered after Carter’s brutal foul on Clark during Indiana-Chicago
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It was a feisty encounter between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever in Indianapolis
After the game, Carter insisted she did not trash talk Clark. But the guard resisted invitation to discuss the incident.
‘I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,’ Carter said at the podium. ‘I don’t know what she said. I didn’t say anything.’
It wasn’t immediately clear how Clark had provoked Carter, if at all, before the Fever star was knocked to the ground.
Clark ended up having the last laugh – her team holding on for a one-point win and the 71-70 triumph was the team’s first home win of the season.
There were 15 seconds left on the clock in the third quarter and when time was up, Clark gave her reaction to ESPN immediately after.
‘That’s just not a basketball play but I’ve got to play through it, that’s what basketball is about at this level,’ she said.
