Chicago Sky player Diamond DeShields committed a hard foul on Caitlin Clark that sent the rookie star to the ground Friday night.
During the Fever's 100-81 victory over the Sky, DeShields lost his balance and crashed into Clark.
DeShields raised his hands as he hit Clark in an attempt to avoid a foul, but it was called anyway due to the impact of the hit. Clark went flying forward off the woodwork. DeShields then offered to help Clark up. The foul was later upgraded to flagrant 1.
The clip of the foul sparked criticism from many WNBA fans on social media.
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After the game, DeShields posted a screenshot of his notification list on Instagram, which included a series of hateful comments from one user. The comments were in reference to a tumor DeShields overcame in 2020. That year, he was diagnosed with a benign tumor on his spinal cord. He risked paralysis when he had it surgically removed and suffered painful tremors while recovering from the procedure, according to Yahoo Sports.
Over his screenshot of the comments, DeShields wrote: “Thank you God for covering me, I pray for you.” [you] “It also covers those who wish to harm me.”
Caitlin Clark drives to the basket against Chicago Sky guard Lindsay Allen during the first half at Wintrust Arena. (Kamil Krzaczynski/USA Today Sports)
DeShields' foul on Clark sparked such a strong reaction on social media that the Chicago Sun-Times published a full-page back cover story Saturday with a photo of the hit under the headline “Foul Ball.”
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The author of the article issued a statement distancing herself from the graph.
“Let me be crystal clear: I do not select headlines or back-page photos for the Sun-Times.” Annie Costabile wrote in X“The story I wrote was about how the Sky and Fever were two very different teams since the All-Star break.”
The incident was the latest in a series of hostile moments between Clark and members of Sky this season.
On June 1, Clark suffered an infamous illegal hit to the hip by Chicago Sky forward Chennedy Carter. Carter later refused to answer questions about the incident at the post-match press conference, but used her social media to repeatedly criticize Clark.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark speaks to the media before a game against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Aug. 16, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“That's it, besides three-point shooting, what does she bring to the table?” Carter wrote in response to a post about her post-game press conference on Threads.
Clark took another questionable hit to the head from Sky rookie and longtime college rival Angel Reese on June 16.
Sky Coach Teresa Witherspoon She even publicly called out Clark in the media, saying “nobody talks more trash than Caitlin” to reporters on June 27.
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Diamond DeShields of the Chicago Sky collides and is called for a flagrant foul against Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on August 30, 2024 in Chicago. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
ESPN women's basketball commentator Holly Rowe said the harsh reception from teams like the Sky is a positive for both Caitlin and the WNBA as a whole.
“I love it because it's supposed to be competitive… I love that people are talking down to other people and saying, 'Hey, you have to prove yourself,'” Rowe previously told Fox News Digital. “I love it because it's supposed to be a salty thing. That's why it's competitive, that's why it's a sport.
“I think it's good for the game.”
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