Caitlin Clark Skips Postgame Media After Fever's 90-88 Loss to Valkyries, Drawing WNBA Scrutiny

After the Indiana Fever lost 90-88 to the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center on Thursday, Caitlin Clark did not appear before reporters. Aliyah Boston and Raven Johnson sat alongside head coach Stephanie White at the postgame press conference instead, and Clark was not made available afterward either.

Joseph Dycus of The Mercury News posted that Clark was not made available to the press following the game. He added that he had asked Fever PR to arrange a conversation with her and was told she would not be talking that night. Nathan Canilao of Bay Area News HQ added context: he had attended Clark's pregame press conference, but he argued that appearing beforehand does not change the obligation, because stories are written around how the game turns out.

Canilao pointed to league policy. Under WNBA rules, accredited Tier 1 media members can ask a team's PR staff to arrange an additional postgame interview with a specific player, and he noted that Dycus qualifies as Tier 1. The Fever have issued no statement about Clark's absence, so the reason remains unclear.

The moment drew comparison to the NBA, where Victor Wembanyama recently skipped postgame media after a playoff loss, prompting a warning from the league and a broader debate over how strictly media rules should apply to high-profile players. Clark, by contrast, has never missed a media availability in her time in the league. As a first-time offender, she could plausibly receive a warning; a repeat could bring a fine.

It was a rough night on the floor as well. Clark scored 16 points on 3-of-12 shooting, including 2 of 6 from three-point range. That 25 percent mark is her worst shooting performance of the season, for a player who typically shoots above 40 percent. The Fever as a team took 73 shots in the game but made only 30.

Asked about Clark's struggles, White credited Golden State's defense. She said Clark is guarded a certain way every night, with 94 feet of physicality and no easy looks, and that she took many tough contested shots. White called the Valkyries an excellent defensive team that dictated pace and tempo once its defense was set.

The game carried some edge. On May 22, Clark had beaten the Valkyries with 22 points and four made threes on nine attempts, and she traded words with Tiffany Hayes after hitting a three in that game. Thursday was a chance to repeat that dominance, and it did not happen.

Separately, the league has another postgame matter to consider. After the Las Vegas Aces lost 95-87 to the Dallas Wings, coach Becky Hammon criticized the officiating in profane terms, noting that A'ja Wilson shot one free throw while Chennedy Carter and Jackie Young shot none, and that Dallas's Awak Kuier alone attempted more than those three combined. She said the Aces were not getting the same whistle and told the league to give her the fine. Dallas finished with 22 free throws to Las Vegas's 12, and came back from 13 down in the second half to win. The WNBA has fined coaches such as Cheryl Reeve for similar public criticism of officials.

Clark and the Fever play next at Portland on May 30, and the league's handling of both Clark and Hammon will show how consistently it enforces its rules.