The Indiana Fever’s matchups with the Chicago Sky have often been filled with controversy, and their recent clash was no exception. With the Fever leading 2-1 in the regular season series, the tension was high. During the game in late August, Fever forward Aliyah Boston attempted to pass the ball while Caitlin Clark was on a fast break. However, Chicago Sky’s guard Diamond DeShields intervened, chasing after Clark and knocking her to the ground. This act earned DeShields considerable backlash from Clark’s fans. Adding to the drama, an old tweet from April surfaced, further fueling the narrative that DeShields might have a problem with Clark.
In an online exchange between DeShields and Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes, the pair discussed ways to stop Clark’s three-point shots during her college career. Sykes had tweeted, “If anyone is reading this… STOP Letting Caitlin Clark GO LEFT TO SHOOT HER THREES my gosh… ESPN even showed a MADE FG visual.” DeShields responded with, “DAWG,” while Sykes added, “The defender in me is screaminggggg dawg I can’t take it anymore lol.” These tweets from April reappeared after the recent incident, reigniting criticism from Clark’s supporters. In response to the resurfacing tweets, Sykes commented on Monday to address the backlash.
The April tweets had come at a time when Clark was dominating NCAA basketball, surpassing Pete Maravich’s record as the all-time highest scorer in NCAA D1. Known for her exceptional three-point shooting skills, she drew comparisons to NBA star Stephen Curry. During her college career, Clark made 201 of 532 attempted three-pointers, achieving a 37.8% shooting percentage and helping the Hawkeyes reach consecutive NCAA Championship Finals in 2022 and 2023.
Clark’s prowess was further highlighted in a July game against the Mystics, where she hit five three-pointers and scored 29 points. Since then, her success rate has increased, and she broke Rhyne Howard’s record for most three-pointers made by a rookie, with Clark now tallying 120 three-pointers. Despite earlier criticism, some of her former detractors have recognized her abilities.
Sheryl Swoopes, for instance, supported LA Sparks head coach Curt Miller’s assessment that Clark’s shooting opens up opportunities for her team. “Caitlin makes it so difficult for you to defend,” Miller had said. Swoopes elaborated, explaining that Clark’s shooting forces defenses to guard her closely, which in turn creates space for teammates like Kelsey Mitchell to excel.
With the renewed discussions around DeShields and Sykes’ comments, fans are eager to see if Clark will respond to the criticism by continuing to deliver her signature “logo threes” during the playoffs.
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