The Time Caitlin Clark's Dad Called Out Her Attitude On The Court

Some of you have never had your dad yell at you during a live, televised basketball game, and it shows. As for superstar basketball player Caitlin Clark, it appears she's all too familiar with that plight. It's no secret that Clark has enjoyed a record-breaking senior year, with glam 'SNL' appearances and head-turning off-the-court outfits to boot. Alas, she can always count on her dear old dad to keep her grounded — case in point: the March Madness University of Iowa vs. Holy Cross game. 

In true fashion, Clark dominated the game, scoring a whopping 27 points and ten assists. In the end, Iowa took home the W, 91-65. Still, her father, Brent Clark, wasn't pleased with Caitlin's sportsmanship and quickly took her to task. As evidenced by ESPN's footage from the game, Caitlin was complaining about a foul call when the camera pans to Brent. "STOP!" he seemingly yells at his daughter. Due to the camera angle, some even questioned whether Caitlin was complaining to the referees or screaming at her dad in the stands. Then, after committing an offensive foul of her own, sports reporter Brad Crawford reported that Brent went as far as to tell the refs to eject Caitlin from the game. "Take her out, my gosh," he seethed. Yikes!

Following the win, Caitlin Clark seized the opportunity to set the record straight once and for all during her post-game interview. "Well, I think the first thing is I was never talking to my dad. I don't know why people thought that," she explained. "I think it's kind of been the same story for me over the course of the two years. It's like I know people are always watching. I know eyeballs are always on me. That's kind of what happens when you are in the spotlight," she maintained.

As for her dad's public scolding? It appears she wasn't fazed by that, either. "My dad is my biggest supporter. He's literally my best friend and he was my first-ever basketball coach and somebody that has always been there," she added. "People probably think my dad is super competitive because I am, but he's never been that way. He's like a chill, constant person in my life that I can always rely on." She also noted that her dad had never missed one of her college basketball games. "For that, I'm forever thankful," she concluded.

Over the years, Brent Clark has never shied away from publicly praising his uber-talented daughter, Caitlin Clark. "She literally, I would say, would score quite a few goals in soccer and the same way with basketball," the proud papa recalled to WHO13 about his daughter's early athletic abilities. "She would pull up on the free throw line on a 6 or 7-foot hoop and would make it pretty consistently." 

According to Clark, however, it's Caitlin's love of the game that's spurred her on to such immense success. "I see a lot of myself at times in Caitlin, in terms of her passion for the game," Brent revealed to KCRG-TV9 in February 2023. "All in all, that's really what drives her and makes her the player that she is." Still, Brent admitted that Caitlin's high-stakes games often made him nervous but that he was making a concerted effort to be more supportive and positive. "She'll look to the stands every so often, and I try to give her some reassurance. I do the best I can," he said. Aww. We're not crying, you're crying.