NBA Legend Calls for Severe Punishment for WNBA Players Who Hurt Caitlin Clark

NBA legend Rick Barry has a pretty strong opinion on the treatment that Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is receiving in the WNBA.

Clark has been on the receiving end of a number of flagrant fouls this 2024 season: five to be exact. Interestingly, among those fouls, four were committed by players from the Chicago Sky.

In two of the flagrant fouls committed by the Sky, Clark was hit from behind and ended up falling to the ground. Perhaps the most controversial one was the hit from Chennedy Carter, when she shoulder-checked the Fever rookie during a game earlier in the season.

Speaking about the hard fouls taken on Clark, Barry expressed his belief that those players who targeted the Fever All-Star should be punished severely.

"Anybody that does something flagrant to [Caitlin Clark] for what she’s brought to the game should be suspended and fined," Barry exclaimed in an interview with The Players' Club podcast.

Of course, that will be called special treatment. There are rules in the first place, and the WNBA cannot treat another player differently just because of their impact on the league. At the end of the day, it affects the integrity of the game.

However, it's easy to see where Rick Barry is coming from. Considering the massive popularity that the WNBA has seen since the arrival of Caitlin Clark, it would make sense for the league to protect their most bankable superstar.

To Barry's point, though, the WNBA needs to do something in order to make sure players don't purposely target other—not only Clark—just for the sake of hurting them. While basketball is a physical sport, more can be done in order to prevent players from crossing the line from physical play to violence.

Related: Caitlin Clark Earns New Nickname From WNBA Legend Cynthia Cooper