WNBA Legend Laughs Off Role in Caitlin Clark Physical Sun vs Fever Altercation

WNBA icon Tina Charles had jokes about her role in the viral physical scuffle with Caitlin Clark during the June 17 Sun vs. Fever game.
Jun 17, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey (3) fouls Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22)  in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Jun 17, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Connecticut Sun guard Marina Mabrey (3) fouls Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Perhaps the spiciest game of the 2025 WNBA season to this point came when the Connecticut Sun and Indiana Fever faced off on June 17.

This stemmed from a physical altercation that Fever star Caitlin Clark had with Sun player Jacy Sheldon after Sheldon poked her in the eye during the third quarter. After these two had a brief shoving match, Sun player Marina Mabrey came in and shoved Clark to the ground.

WNBA legend Tina Charles (No. 31 on Connecticut) was also in the middle of this scuffle, as can be seen in the above video. And during her July 11 appearance on the Bird's Eye View podcast with Sue Bird, Charles managed to laugh off her role in this viral moment.

While laughing about the play with Bird, Charles said, "What's crazy is that everybody's like, 'Yo, you punched [Clark] in the back. And I'm like, 'Nah.' I was just like, 'Yo, you got it.... Yo, chill out. Watch yourself. Just watch yourself.'"

She later added, "I'm still like, talking my s***, like, 'Yeah yeah yeah. Just chill out. Chill out.... Everybody was like, 'Yo, you took [Clark] back to Southside Jamaica, Queens.'"

This clip of Charles talking about the incident is going viral on social media, and many Fever fans are expressing frustration about how nonchalant Charles seems to be about what could have become a harmful situation.

Regardless, it's a good thing that nobody was injured during the entire scuffle. And the whole incident has certainly added a lot of excitement to the Fever and Sun's next game on July 15.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever 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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