Sophie Cunningham says players are ‘definitely targeting’ Caitlin Clark. What does the data say?

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has never been afraid to speak her mind, so it was only a matter of time before she commented on the latest controversy involving Caitlin Clark. Unsurprisingly, Cunningham has come to her teammate’s defense, saying that “the league and the refs do nothing to protect” Clark. 

Clark left the Fever’s loss to the Mercury on Wednesday with a back injury after being on the receiving end of what Indiana coach Stephanie White called “two cheap shots.” Clark will not play Saturday against the Los Angeles Sparks on CBS and Paramount+, and has been ruled out indefinitely. 

While a landing space foul on a 3-pointer appeared to be what jarred Clark’s back, the incident that has everyone talking happened a few possessions earlier. During a loose-ball scramble, Alyssa Thomas kneed Clark in the thigh and put her fist into Clark’s neck. No foul was called during the game, but the league later reviewed the situation and upgraded the play to a Flagrant 2 and suspended Thomas for one game — served Saturday against the Toronto Tempo — for “recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area” of Clark. 

Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas suspended one game for putting fist into Caitlin Clark’s throat in win over Fever

Jack Maloney

Cunningham calls out the league and officials

On the latest episode of her podcast, “Show Me Something,” which was released Saturday, Cunningham gave her view on the situation. She explained why no one on the Fever reacted in the moment, then made strong accusations against both the league and the officials.   

“During real time last night, I did not see that happen,” Cunningham said. “None of our team saw it happen, because I promise you, if we would have seen that happen, we would have had [Clark’s] back. Unfortunately, this type of shit happens every single game to [Clark], and the league and the refs do absolutely nothing about it.”

“You see the videos of literally kneeing and cheap-shotting [Clark] in the throat,” Cunningham continued. “If [Thomas] did that to any of our teammates, we’d be pissed. But they are definitely targeting [Clark], and the league and the refs do nothing to protect her.”

Cunningham has previously been fined for comments she’s made on her podcast — as well as a TikTok she made — and it would not be a surprise if the league dings her again here.

Do opponents actually ‘target’ Clark?

Do opponents set out to purposefully injure Clark? No. Do opponents try to use physicality to their advantage against Clark? Yes. As Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase notably said last season, “We know [Clark] doesn’t like physicality.” And sometimes, that approach goes too far. 

Despite missing the majority of her sophomore season, Clark has been on the receiving end of nine flagrant fouls since she entered the league in 2024, per Across the Timeline. That is the most toward any player in that time frame. Note: This includes both Flagrant 1 and Flagrant 2 fouls, preseason excluded. 

Most flagrant fouls received since 2024

Clark has received nine flagrant fouls in 72 career games, including the regular season and playoffs, or one every eight games. Here are some of the most notable incidents Clark has been involved in:

• Just 10 games into her career, Clark was hip-checked by Chennedy Carter, a play that was retroactively upgraded to a Flagrant 1
• Later in her rookie season, Clark was run over in transition by Diamond DeShields, who was called for a Flagrant 1
• Last season, Clark was shoved to the ground by Marina Mabrey, a play that was retroactively upgraded to a Flagrant 2
• Then, on Wednesday, there was the incident with Thomas, which, again, was retroactively upgraded to a Flagrant 2

None of that includes the regular landing space fouls on Clark that arguably carry a higher risk of injury. In May, Clark left a preseason game against the Dallas Wings after being fouled by Alanna Smith on a play that was upgraded to a Flagrant 1. Too often for the Fever’s liking, however, such fouls are not upgraded. That was the case against the Washington Mystics earlier this season, when Clark was cleaned out in mid-air by Cassandre Prosper. And it was the case again on Wednesday against the Mercury, when she landed on Valeriane Ayayi’s foot and came up grabbing at her back. 

There are seven incidents highlighted above: four non-basketball plays and three landing space fouls from this season alone. Only two of them were called flagrant fouls in the moment, while three were retroactively upgraded, including two to Flagrant 2s and one suspension. 

Twice in the last 25 games Clark has played in, the league has acknowledged after the fact that she was on the receiving end of contact that should have resulted in an ejection. Since Clark entered the league, there have only been four other Flagrant 2 fouls — one on Thomas in 2024, one on Cunningham, one on Janelle Salaun and one on Isabelle Harrison — and all four were assessed in the moment, leading to immediate ejections. 

Since Clark’s debut, she has taken more flagrant fouls than any other player, and the worst of the non-basketball contact she’s received has not been properly handled in the moment. 

That says more about the competency (or lack thereof) of the officials than a plot by opponents to hurt Clark or a conspiracy by the league, but it makes it easy to understand why Cunningham said the officials do “nothing to protect” Clark. And what White meant when she said after Wednesday’s game that Clark is “not called the same way everybody else is called.”