It’s been two days since the Chicago Sky lost 71-70 to the Indiana Fever, and the Sky have finally broken their silence about the most talked-about play from that game: Chennedy Carter’s upgraded flagrant foul on Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.
Head coach Teresa Weatherspoon was the first to speak about it on Monday, releasing a statement about how she addressed the play with Carter.
“Physical play, intensity, and a competitive spirit are hallmarks of Chicago Sky basketball. Chennedy got caught up in the heat of the moment in an effort to win the game. She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate, nor is it what we do or who we are. Chennedy understands that there are better ways to handle situations on the court, and she will learn from this as we all will.
“As a team, we will grow together and continue to work hard to display strong leadership and set a positive example for our competitors, fans, and partners.”
Carter gave Clark a hard shove at the end of the third quarter without the ball in play. Clark landed on the floor and Carter was called for a personal foul. The WNBA upgraded the foul to a flagrant-1 after further review on Sunday. No one on the Sky commented about Clark or the foul following the game.
Angel Reese skipped her postgame media commitments completely, which is against WNBA media policy. The league announced Sunday that Reese had been fined $1,000 for skipping interviews and the Sky had been fined $5,000 for allowing her to violate the WNBA’s media policy.
But both Reese and Carter were front and center on Monday afternoon, addressing the media together and speaking their minds about what happened Saturday. Carter began by saying she had “no regrets.”
Carter followed that up by saying she has “no complaints” even though the Sky have been the subject of a lot of negative talk over the past few days.
Reese, who was seen cheering on the sideline when Carter fouled Clark, then said she’s willing to play whatever role the game needs her to play. If she needs to be the villain, then that’s exactly what she’ll do.
The Sky’s next game is against the New York Liberty on Tuesday night.
Aces’ A’ja Wilson breaks WNBA record with eighth straight 25-point game
A’ja Wilson is making a compelling argument for her third WNBA MVP award. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The Las Vegas Aces aren’t looking their usual dominant selves so far this season, but A’ja Wilson certainly is.
The two-time MVP posted 32 points on 10-of-17 shooting with 15 rebounds, two assists and two blocks against the Phoenix Mercury on Thursday. That line in itself was impressive, but it was also Wilson’s eighth straight game with at least 25 points, breaking the WNBA regular season record.
The previous record-holder: Tina Charles with seven in 2021.
Some of Wilson’s points weren’t particularly fair:
Serious question here: how do you stop this?!
A'ja Wilson is killin' in the mid-range right now
WNBA Commissioner's Cup presented by @coinbase | Prime Video pic.twitter.com/4T4bebkpNu
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 14, 2024
Starring alongside Wilson on Thursday was Jackie Young, who posted 34 points, eight rebounds and four assists. She and Wilson are the first teammates to each post 30 points in a game this season and the third in Aces franchise history.
Those performances helped the Aces bounce back from a three-game losing streak, defeating the Mercury 103-99 to improve their season record to 6-5. Considering the Aces didn’t reach their fifth loss last season until Aug. 26, that’s still quite a drop-off.
The team has been waiting a long time for the return of star point guard Chelsea Gray, which could come soon.
It has already been a historic season for Wilson, who posted the WNBA’s first 35-point, 10-rebound, five-steal game last week and became the first WNBA player to average 25 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks across nine games. Her numbers have certainly been MVP-worthy, but the two-time defending champions will be focused on something bigger.
