Caitlin Clark has slammed her critics demanding ‘instant satisfaction’ from her and the Indiana Fever after the team’s third straight win on Wednesday night, an 88-81 triumph over the Washington Mystics.
Clark and the Fever were hit hard by critics after the team lost its first five games of the season and eight of its first nine.
Indiana has since turned a corner, going 5-2 in its last seven games, including a four-game win streak at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Right now, the Fever hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the WNBA despite its 6-10 record.
Clark made sure to put her professional journey in perspective for her doubters after the win over Washington.
Clark and the Fever improved to 6-10 on Wednesday night with a victory over the Mystics
Clark spoke about her doubters’ need for ‘instant satisfaction’ after the win over Washington
‘I think everybody just loves instant stratification in our world,’ Clark said. ‘No one came in here and said we were going to be WNBA Champions from day No 1 in our locker room.’
‘That was never our goal,’ Clark added. ‘Our goal was to get back to the playoffs and we’re fighting for that every single night. This is the first time we’ve won four home games in a row since 2015.
‘You have to have perspective on things, and that goes for life too. Like have perspective on life,’ Clark continued. ‘And there just needs to be solid perspective on what this team can accomplish. And I think everybody in our locker room had that. Nobody ever hung our heads.’
‘We had the hardest schedule to start. We didn’t get to practice much and we’re playing with the most inexperienced team in the WNBA,’ Clark said. ‘So I think this group is starting to click and build some chemistry and it’s one day at a time.
‘But like I said, everybody loves instant satisfaction. But sure, we would have probably loved that too. But I think we kept a good perspective on knowing we need to get better one step at a time,’ Clark concluded.
Clark has been under a microscope from not only the public, but other WNBA players too
Clark has been targeted for physical play throughout her first two months in the WNBA
Clark and the Fever have a chance to extend their winning streak to four games overall on Friday on the road against the Atlanta Dream, who hold the No 7 spot in the WNBA standings.
Clark’s first two months in the WNBA have not been smooth sailing as she’s dealt with physical play and people believing she’s receiving unfair treatment.
On Sunday, constant Clark rival Angel Reese committed a flagrant foul against her when the Chicago Sky star missed a block and swatted the former Iowa star in the head, sending her to the court in pain.
After the game, Reese said the Fever and Clark received a ‘special whistle’.
That foul came several days after Reese’s Sky teammate, Chennedy Carter, hip-checked Clark, drawing ire on social media for a play not in good faith in basketball.
Connecticut Sun star DiJonai Carrington also recently called out Clark for her silence in a ‘culture war’.
Reese and Clark – pictured at the WNBA Draft – have been fierce rivals so far this season
With the skyrocketing in popularity of women’s basketball, much on Clark’s back, the attention has come some using her name being weaponized to spread racism and misogyny, something Clark pushed back on last week.
Carrington had taken issue with Clark’s lack of a brash statement to disassociate herself from those things. Then, she showed up at Clark’s game hours after a posting a tweet calling her out.
‘Dawg. How one can not be bothered by their name being used to justify racism, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia & the intersectionalities of them all is nuts. We all see the s***. We all have a platform. We all have a voice & they all hold weight. Silence is a luxury,’ Carrington tweeted.
Clark’s rebuttal of people weaponizing her name also happened hours before tipoff of Fever-Dream.
‘It’s disappointing,’ Clark said. ‘Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect.
‘People should not be using my name for those agendas. It’s disappointing. It’s not acceptable,’ Clark continued.
