Women's Fastbreak On SI

Candace Parker Shares Candid Assessment of Caitlin Clark's WNBA Treatment

WNBA icon Candace Parker got honest about the narrative of Caitlin Clark being subject to physical treatment from opponents.
Grant Young|
Oct 25, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; TNT broadcaster Candace Parker during the Golden State Warriors game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Oct 25, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; TNT broadcaster Candace Parker during the Golden State Warriors game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One narrative that has been getting a lot of attention in the women's basketball community throughout the 2025 WNBA regular season (as well as in 2024) is the physical treatment that Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark is subject to from opponents during games.

Clark is currently sidelined with a left quad strain, which will keep her out for at least the next three games. And while this injury isn't related to how physical teams are guarding her, there's no doubt that the scouting report on Clark is to try and push her around as much as possible without being called for a foul.

This has led to speculation on whether it's fair for Clark to get guarded this way. And it prompted a TMZ reporter to ask WNBA legend Candace Parker about Clark's treatment, which has since been reposted on social media.

While Parker was heading into her car, the TMZ reporter asked, "I wanted to ask about people being a little physical with Caitlin... Do you feel like she's being treated unfairly, like in her games and stuff like that?"

"You know, it's definitely like, star players aren't ever treated fairly," Parker responded with a chuckle, per an X post from @Krysta____.

Props to Parker for being willing to speak about this on the spot, especially because the camera and questions clearly caught her while she was out on her own time.

Still, her sentiment about Clark's treatment suggests that fans shouldn't expect anything different regarding the physicality No. 22 is subject to anytime soon.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

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.

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