Caitlin Clark's Potential Technical Foul Suspension Given Crucial Update by WNBA
Indiana Fever sensation Caitlin Clark picked up the sixth technical foul of her rookie season during the first quarter of Friday's loss against the Las Vegas Aces after smacking a basket's stanchion out of frustration upon receiving a foul call.
Given that the WNBA has a rule that players who pick up seven technical fouls in a regular season must receive a one-game suspension, Clark is now one more technical away from getting suspended one game.
Another important aspect of this technical foul rule is that it resets once the WNBA playoffs start. Therefore, if Clark was to pick up a seventh technical during the playoffs, she would not be at risk of suspension.
But there was still uncertainty about one aspect of this rule: What would happen if Clark picked up that seventh technical foul in the Fever's final regular season game? Would that mean she was suspended for their first playoff game?
Thankfully, Molly McGrath reached out to the WNBA to get this vague aspect of the rule clarified, and posted the results of her inquiry on X Saturday.
"quick update: the @wnba confirmed that technicals reset post season so even if CC gets a technical in the last game of the season, she won’t be suspended for any playoff games," McGrath wrote.
quick update: the @wnba confirmed that technicals reset post season so even if CC gets a technical in the last game of the season, she won’t be suspended for any playoff games.
— Molly McGrath (@MollyMcGrath12) September 14, 2024
Therefore, Fever fans can breathe easy knowing that Clark won't miss one of their two guaranteed playoff games due to her technical foul count.
That being said, Clark would be wise to not pick up another technical foul in Indiana's next game against the Dallas Wings because the Fever still need to win one more game before they have the WNBA's No. 6 seed locked down.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.