Caitlin Clark broke the silence on her 'welcome to the WNBA' moment. The Indiana Fever rookie has starred in some controversial moments, including Chennedy Carter pushing her in the back, and Angel Reese hitting her in the face, as well as some humbling losses against superior opponents.
That said, Clark picked a painful moment as the one that welcomed her to the pros. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Indiana Fever vs Atlanta Dream game, Clark explained that a screen caused her a painful injury that threatened to keep her off the court.
"Honestly, I've been popped on a couple of screens, I actually ruptured my ear drum when we were in New York on a tough screen. So, if I have to pick one right now, it'd probably be that. Great screens, I just didn’t hear them. So, it’s kind of my own fault," Clark said.
Caitlin Clark sounded the alarms during that June 2 game against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center. The Indiana Fever was dominated by their opponents, losing that match by 36 points. Clark had her worst game to date in the WNBA, scoring only three points shooting 10.0% from the field and having a plus-minus of -28.
She left the court mid-game after this action and then refused to explain what happened to her.
"Honestly, I don't really know. I don’t wanna explain it, it’d probably be pretty gross, but no, I feel fine. I can’t hear great out of one of my ears," Clark told reporters five days later.
Caitlin Clark's Fever have improved their record since that Liberty game
That game can be considered a turning point for the Indiana Fever's season. That loss seemingly sparked something inside the players, as they have won four of their last five matchups, losing to the only team with a better record than the Liberty, the Connecticut Sun.
Caitlin Clark is playing better by the day and so is her team. They have started to catch up with the rest of the league and are separating themselves from struggling teams like the Washington Mystics (2-13), Dallas Wings (3-11) and the LA Sparks (4-12).
This team is heating up at the right moment and a win against the Dream tonight will put them in a more privileged position.