Why Caitlin Clark Is Sporting A Black Eye After Her First WNBA Playoff Game
Caitlin Clark's first WNBA playoff game didn't end as she had hoped after the Indiana Fever lost to the Connecticut Sun 69-93 on September 22, 2024. Unfortunately for Clark, it wasn't just her team that took a beating; she did, too, resulting in a nasty black eye and lackluster performance. It all went downhill for the athlete after DiJonai Carrington accidentally smacked her in the face while attempting to intercept a pass. The blow was nasty, involving a poke directly in the eye, causing Clark to sink to her knees in pain.
Caitlin Clark with a finger to the eye!
Intentional or unintentional?#FeverRising
— CMSLA[G]LE (@cm_slagle) September 22, 2024
Following the jab, Clark lost her rhythm and focus, finishing with 11 points, considerably below her 2024 season average of 19. Still, she played down the injury in the after-match press conference, insisting it didn't throw her off her game. "Obviously, she got me pretty good in the eye," Clark said. "I don't think it affected me. I got good shots; they didn't go down. It's a tough time for that to happen. Had three wide open in first half that I usually make. It didn't feel good when it happened, but I don't think it affected me."
WNBA fans flocked to X, formerly Twitter, to argue whether the blow was actually on purpose. "If [DiJonai] hadn't spouted nastiness towards Fever fans and CC all season, I'd say accidental. But her track record with CC leads me to believe it was intentional," one wrote.
Social media users duke it out over Clark's injury
Overall, the social media jury is out regarding the black eye Caitlin Clark suffered during her first playoff game. In their bid to uncover the truth, WNBA fans poured over clips from the match, examining every angle. It hasn't helped them reach a unanimous decision, though. Some claim DiJonai Carrington intentionally injured her rival, while others believe it was purely accidental.
Carrington doesn't seem phased about what people think either way, though. The Sun guard didn't even mention the incident during a post-match interview with Hoop Life. Instead, she focused on Tyasha Harris' ankle twist and bigged up Alyssa Thomas' aggressive offense. "Ty is a huge piece of what we do, and praying that it's just a short-term injury," Carrington said in a post-game interview. "But, like we all know, every year we've had an injury, and someone has had to step up, and that's what you saw from [Marina Maybrey], [DeWanna Bonner], A.T. like they really stepped up today."
The complete lack of discussion about Carrington's controversial eye jab didn't go unnoticed. "Uh, was there no question about perhaps her most consequential act?" one viewer asked in the comments of the video. "And dirty plays ... like bending my wrist to nail [Caitlin] Clark in the eye... that's really important. Should have asked her where she gets her nails done," another added.
#TeamClark is gathering steam
Caitlin Clark is a controversial athlete, so it's little surprise that WNBA supporters are divided over the black eye she's nursing following the jab to the face from DiJonai Carrington during the playoff game, and they are now burning up social media with speculation. At least this latest incident is a break from gossiping about what's going on between Clark and Angel Reese. That's a subject that seemed never-ending during the players' college careers.
Still, despite there being a lot of people who can't stand Clark, for once, the majority appear to be on her side. In fact, some fans have been baying for Carrington's blood, as evidenced by comments left on a video discussing the incident.
"I'm so sick of this so-called 'physicality' WNBA claims that is part of basketball. This game was straight-up bully ball. I'm tired of not only CC getting cheap shotted but AB as well," one fumed. "She used her CAREER ENDING FINGER NAILS as weapons, perfectly aimed at CC's eyes. She's a dirty player. She has assaulted CC before, and will happily do it again. The [C]onn referees had big help from the timekeeper in slowing the transition game," another wrote. "Carrington does this in every game they have played against each other ... WNBA should have a rule where there isn't any long fingernails allowed during a game!!!" another suggested.