Caitlin Clark’s Latest Technical Foul Was a Joke. Here’s What the WNBA Should Do About It.

The Fever blew out the Sun 123–88 at home on Wednesday night. It was their third straight win and pushed their record to 17–10 on the year.

While the game itself was a laugher, one moment from the blowout could soon prove to be costly for Caitlin Clark as she was called for her seventh technical foul of the season after having words with Sun guard Saniya Rivers.

To put it bluntly, Clark’s latest technical foul was as soft as it comes by the referees. She and Rivers had a little back-and-forth after the whistle and Clark ended up telling her to look at the scoreboard. Then the whistle came and they were both issued technicals.

Here’s a look at how that played out:

Caitlin Clark and Saniya Rivers each get a technical foul after Clark tells Rivers to check the scoreboard.pic.twitter.com/YA7nfPRabj
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) July 23, 2026

"She said she was locking me up, so I said, 'Scoreboard,' and the ref didn't like that,” Clark said after the game. She finished the night with 27 points and 11 assists.

That’s just such a weak call by the refs. Neither player deserved to get a technical over that. So they shared some words, big deal. They were both under control and it sure didn’t feel like the situation was going to escalate into anything more than that. The refs should have just separated them and moved on with the game.

But that’s not what happened, and now Clark is one technical away from being issued an automatic suspension by the WNBA.

What the WNBA should do about this

The WNBA has the right to overturn the technical foul if the Fever appeal it. Indiana would be smart to do that and the league, which has rescinded four technicals so far this year, would be smart to wipe it from the books.

The WNBA should also take Rivers’s technical away because she didn’t do anything all that bad in that moment. Games get heated, words get said but that doesn’t mean the refs should be so quick to hand out technical fouls.

Fever coach Stephanie White was asked after the game if she needed to change her coaching style for Clark to keep her away from an eighth technical, which would lead to a suspension.

"Anybody who thinks that I have a plan to be strategic about technical fouls is crazy," White said. "I mean, look, she's just got to pick and choose, right? She's got to pick and choose, and it's every two after that. So I think the biggest thing is she knows, she has awareness about it.

"We'll try to help her when we can, but sometimes we can't. And if she wants to be strategic about which game she doesn't want to play, then she'll let her fly."

Clark spoke after the game about how she’ll play going forward knowing what could happen if she gets T’d up again.

"I'm never going to back down," Clark said. "I think just continue to try to control your emotions the best you can. That intensity and that fire is what makes me me, but also knowing my team needs me and finding a good balance of that. But I don't think I'm going to be playing with that in the back of my head."

"She said she was locking me up, so I said, 'Scoreboard,' and the ref didn't like that."

Caitlin Clark on her exchange with Saniya Rivers in Fever-Sun last night.

Clark, who has 7 techs on the season, is 1 technical foul away from a 1-game suspension.

(via @IndianaFever)… https://t.co/2LU8B0eLM8
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 23, 2026

The Fever are off for the WNBA All-Star break until they travel to face Seattle next Tuesday night. It will be interesting to see how Clark handles things going forward. Hopefully the refs chill out a little bit.

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