"Erica Wheeler will be missed" - Fever fans lose it after Caitlin Clark barks at official and Sophie Cunningham rushes in

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever took down the Atlanta Dream in a preseason game on Saturday. Clark got into it with an official, with Sophie Cunningham getting in the way and calming things down. Some fans reacted to the interaction by bringing up former Fever guard Erica Wheeler.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, a fan shared a video of Clark arguing with a referee. It's not surprising since the Fever star has been very vocal with officials as a rookie, especially with all the contact and physicality she had to endure.

While Clark continued to speak to the referee, Cunningham intervened and pushed the guard away to avoid escalation. The new Fever player has endeared herself to the fanbase even though the season hasn't started yet. She was acquired from the Phoenix Mercury via a four-team trade in the offseason.

Indiana Fever fans liked what they saw from Sophie Cunningham, joking that she's now part of the Caitlin Clark de-escalation committee. A former member of the "committee" was Erica Wheeler, who also served as a mentor for a rookie Clark.

"Erica Wheeler will be missed! She was the head of the committee last year... lol," a fan tweeted.

"Caitlin is the type to circle back around, gotta watch her," one fan pointed out.

"Sophie joined the club," another fan remarked.

"CC doing CC things... welcome to the team Sophie," a fan wrote.

"I hope Wheeler left her a handbook," one fan commented.

"That ref has never made a call in favor of Caitlin, Not in this game or Last!" another fan claimed.

Caitlin Clark was called for six technical fouls last season and was one away from an automatic suspension. Clark's already in intense mode in the preseason, so she has to dial it back a little bit when the campaign begins next week.

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Caitlin Clark leads Fever to win over Dream

After missing the Indiana Fever's first preseason game with a minor leg injury, Caitlin Clark played her second straight contest on Saturday. Clark was fantastic against the Brazil national team in her preseason debut and followed it up with another stellar outing against the Atlanta Dream.

The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year finished with 13 points, six rebounds and seven assists in 23 minutes. She knocked down three 3-point shots, but also had three turnovers. She was called for a technical foul for arguing with a referee, showing that she's already locked in for the season.

Clark and the Fever are set to start the 2025 WNBA season on May 17 against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky.