"Always been two-faced about Clark": Caitlin Clark fans put Sue Bird and Tina Charles on blast for laughing at viral altercation

Caitlin Clark fans put Sue Bird and Tina Charles on blast for laughing at viral altercation (Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark fans put Sue Bird and Tina Charles on blast for laughing at viral altercation (Getty Images)

WNBA veteran Tina Charles appeared on women’s basketball icon Sue Bird’s podcast, Bird’s Eye View, this week. One of the topics they touched on was the tense altercation between Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever and Charles’ Connecticut Sun in June.

Ad

While chuckling about the incident, Charles told Bird:

"What's crazy is that everybody's like, 'Yo, you punched [Clark] in the back. And I'm like, 'Nah.' I was just like, 'Yo, you got it.... Yo, chill out. Watch yourself. Just watch yourself.'"
Ad

Bird also commented on the moment, saying she was in tears from laughing when it happened.

That light-hearted tone didn’t sit well with many fans, who accused Bird and Charles of treating the altercation as trivial.

Here are a few of the reactions:

“She’s (Bird) always been two-faced about Clark. Same with Diana,” one said.
Ad
“What the hell is wrong with these two?! There's nothing funny about that event. I always saw Bird as bit of a grifter. Like, she's using CC for views. But maybe is just me,” another said.
“Notice the difference in how Bird and Taurasi, who played for Geno, talk about CC, compared to Candace Parker, who played for the GOAT, Pat Summitt. Zero class vs all class and respect. It’s always been that way,” another commented.
Ad

Here are other reactions.

Ad
Ad
Ad

What happened during the Indiana Fever-Connecticut Sun scuffle?

The original incident occurred when Indiana led 55-45 midway through the third quarter. After Caitlin Clark got poked in the eye during a heated moment with Jacy Sheldon, tensions escalated. Clark retaliated with a shove, and Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey responded by flooring Clark.

Sheldon’s foul was upgraded to a flagrant 1, while Caitlin Clark was hit with a technical for her shove. Tina Charles, who also got in Clark’s face, received an offsetting technical, and Mabrey picked up a tech for the hit.

Ad

Later in the game, with Indiana up 87–70, things intensified when Sophie Cunningham pulled Sheldon down on a fast-break layup attempt, igniting another flare-up.

Following another monitor review, Cunningham was issued a flagrant 2 and ejected. Both Sheldon and Connecticut’s Lindsay Allen were also tossed for their roles in the incident.

Sue Bird once raised WNBA physicality concerns

On the June 28 episode of Bird’s Eye View, Bird closed out the show by sharing that she and other former players aren't necessarily fans of how physical the league has become.

Ad
“There's so much conversation about (the league’s physicality),” she said. “Is it too physical? Is it not all these things? And I think there's been this narrative that's gone around that we — and I'm going to include myself here — we as WNBA players talk about the physicality in our league like a badge of honor. And I don't think that's the case at all.
Ad
“Yes, this is a physical league. Yeah, it's a grown woman's league, … (and) you got to be ready for it. And the only reason why I want to bring that up is because while it's true that we have defended the physicality, it's not true that it's because we want it to be that way or like it that way.”

These remarks came during an episode that featured Indiana Fever forward Natasha Howard.

Phoenix Suns Fans? Check out the latest Suns depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Quick Links

Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications