Candace Parker Calls Out WNBA Refs on Paige Bueckers-Caitlin Clark Incident

In a recent WNBA game, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and All-Star Paige Bueckers were involved in an incident that drew criticism from WNBA legend Candace Parker. The game took place last Thursday, with the Fever losing to the Wings, 91-85. During halftime, Clark had the ball in her hands, and Bueckers, who was guarding her, attempted to foul once but it went uncalled.

Bueckers then grabbed Clark's arm, and the referees finally called a foul. Clark was visibly frustrated and tossed the ball away to another referee or teammate. According to Parker, who spoke on her Post Moves podcast with Clark's teammate Aliyah Boston as co-host, she feels a little bit of blame towards the referees. Parker stated that it was like if one doesn't hear a whistle, and Paige was trying to foul, she fouled again, and the referees didn't call the first one.

Boston agreed, expressing that she could see Bueckers' side of the incident if she was attempting to calm Clark down. Both Parker and Boston, who have encountered similar situations, understand that referees, despite their challenging job, often miss calls. This season, multiple players and coaches in the league have spoken up about unfavorable calls and non-calls by WNBA referees.

Clark and her coach, Stephanie White, are among them. The incident with Bueckers may have brought Clark dangerously close to her eighth technical foul, but fortunately, it wasn't called. If it had, she would have faced a one-game suspension while her team was still competing for playoff positioning in the regular season.