Clark's Technical Foul Trouble
Caitlin Clark Nears WNBA Suspension After Receiving Fifth Technical Foul
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Key Points
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Under WNBA rules, eight technical fouls trigger an automatic one-game suspension. Clark already has five this season, so she is three away from a suspension unless the call is rescinded or she avoids further techs.
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Clark publicly condemned the tech for clapping, joking that fans should calendar the game she’ll be suspended for and calling the call 'ridiculous' after the incident with DeWanna Bonner.
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The on-court incident involved a tie-up near the free-throw line with Bonner, sparking a flare-up that produced five technical fouls in total, including Io‑Cunningham, Hines-Allen and Alyssa Thomas who also were assessed techs in that exchange.
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Clark is averaging 3.6 personal fouls per game, placing her among the league's top ten in this category, highlighting ongoing discipline and officiating discussion surrounding her play style.
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The league can rescind a disputed technical foul if deemed inappropriate, a pathway seen in other cases (e.g., Paige Bueckers’ tech being rescinded), leaving room for Clark’s call to be reviewed.
Caitlin Clark scored a season-high 24 points and 9 assists as the Indiana Fever beat the Phoenix Mercury 86-77 on June 22, but a brawl-adjacent fourth-quarter flare-up stole the night The Spun. Clark was hit with her fifth technical foul of the season for clapping — a call she immediately labeled 'ridiculous' — leaving her just three away from an automatic one-game suspension under WNBA rules.
Five technical fouls were handed out in a single sequence involving Clark, Sophie Cunningham, DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, and Myisha Hines-Allen The Spun. Hines-Allen was ejected seconds later after picking up a second technical in the same quarter.
Clark's Clapping Draws Fifth Tech of Season
With 7:57 left in the fourth quarter, Clark got tangled up with Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner near the free-throw line The Spun. After the dust settled, referee Gerda Gatling assessed Clark a technical foul specifically for clapping. Clark called the call out by name in her post-game press conference.
'It's ridiculous — I got a technical for clapping,' Clark said The Spun. 'We should all just go on the calendar now and pick a game I'm going to be suspended for if I'm going to get technicals for clapping.' She added: 'I said, okay, then you just don't like competitive basketball — and that's just facts.'
Three Techs Away From Mandatory One-Game Ban
Under 2026 WNBA rules, eight technical fouls in a season trigger an automatic one-game suspension and a $1,500 fine The New York Times. Clark now sits at five through 17 games, tied with Angel Reese for the most in the league The Spun. She needs just three more to hit that threshold.
There is a narrow path to avoid it. The WNBA league office can rescind a technical foul if it decides the call did not meet the standard for unsportsmanlike conduct. That happened recently for Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers The Spun. The Indiana Fever can also file a formal appeal. Clark's fifth tech carries a $1,000 fine under the 2026 fine schedule.
Fever-Mercury Tensions Boil Over Again
The bad blood between these two teams runs deep. Bonner left Indiana midway through the 2025 season for Phoenix, reportedly causing a locker room rift The Spun. Her fiancée, Alyssa Thomas, is also on the Mercury roster and was part of the same technical foul sequence with Hines-Allen.
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham, who was also assessed a technical, defended the team's edge after the game. 'It's okay for women to have extracurricular activities at times, because you have to hold your ground,' she said The Spun. The two teams meet again on June 24 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a rematch that will be watched closely by officials and the league office.
Record Performance Buried Under Officiating Firestorm
Clark's on-court numbers were historic. Her 24-point, 9-assist night was her best scoring performance of the 2026 season The Spun. It also marked her sixth straight game with at least 20 points and 5 assists — the longest such streak in WNBA history.
But the performance was overshadowed by the discipline debate. Conservative commentator Jason Whitlock accused Clark of flopping during the Thomas exchange, tweeting 'Caitlin flopped. The elbow never landed. Quit playing victim' The Spun. Others pushed back, noting that Clark is also averaging 3.6 personal fouls per game — a sign she plays physically, not passively. Clark said she will keep playing with emotion and leave the rest to the league.
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