Angel Reese has been handed the primary nice of her WNBA profession, after a day of controversy surrounding her and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
Saturday noticed the high-profile pair face off towards one another for the primary time within the WNBA, taking their faculty rivalry to the professionals.
Throughout the sport, Clark was bodychecked and shoved to the bottom by Reese’s Chicago Sky teammate Chennedy Carter, with ex-LSU icon Reese seen leaping off the bench to have fun the violent motion.
Reese has now been handed a nice – however not for her response to the on-court incident, regardless of it inflicting loads of controversy on-line.
As a substitute, she must pay the WNBA $1,000 for ‘failing to make herself accessible to the media for interviews following the sport’.
Angel Reese has been given her first WNBA nice after failing to cease for interviews on Saturday
Caitlin Clark was inexplicably bodychecked to the bottom by Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter
Clark fell to the bottom, however no Chicago Sky gamers had been eager to discuss the incident
That quantity is unlikely to do severe injury to Reese’s checking account, with the Sky rookie already having tied up thousands and thousands in sponsorship offers all through her time in faculty and now within the WNBA.
Her wage, although, continues to be comparatively low, along with her rookie contract paying out $324,383 throughout the subsequent 4 years – a mean annual wage of $81,096.
On prime of Reese’s nice, the Sky group has been fined $5,000 for ‘failing to make sure that all gamers adjust to WNBA media insurance policies’.
Carter, the Sky participant on the heart of the on-court incident, did converse to the media, however refused to touch upon it and particularly advised reporters she wouldn’t reply any questions on Clark.
Carter shoved Clark to the bottom, with tv replays showing to point out her yelling ‘you b***h’ at Clark earlier than knocking her rival to the bottom.
Reese jumped up and cheered after Carter’s brutal foul on Clark throughout Indiana-Chicago
It was a feisty encounter between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever in Indianapolis
After the sport, Carter insisted she didn’t trash speak Clark. However the guard resisted invitation to debate the incident.
‘I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,’ Carter mentioned on the podium. ‘I don’t know what she mentioned. I didn’t say something.’
It wasn’t instantly clear how Clark had provoked Carter, if in any respect, earlier than the Fever star was knocked to the bottom.
Clark ended up having the final snort – her workforce holding on for a one-point win and the 71-70 triumph was the workforce’s first dwelling win of the season.
There have been 15 seconds left on the clock within the third quarter and when time was up, Clark gave her response to ESPN instantly after.
‘That is simply not a basketball play however I’ve bought to play via it, that is what basketball is about at this degree,’ she mentioned.