The biggest headline of last season? Caitlin Clark. The biggest headline this season? Still Caitlin Clark. Except this time around, it’s not about her getting the “rookie treatment” or adjusting to the pros. This season, it’s all about how she’s bringing a different kind of fire to the floor. More physicality. More intensity. And not to forget, Clark isn’t exactly a stranger to confrontation herself. She picked up six techs in her rookie season, and she’s had her fair share of heated face-offs. But the biggest one? Obviously, we all remember that.
Flashback to June 1, 2024. It was the Chicago Sky vs. the Indiana Fever, and everything was going smoothly until Chennedy Carter checked Caitlin Clark hard from behind, right after scoring a bucket. Clark hit the floor, the crowd gasped, and the league took notice.
What started as a common foul was later upgraded to a flagrant 1 after review. The Fever still came out on top, 71-70, but the real drama was just getting started. The incident kicked off a massive debate across the sports world. Was Caitlin being unfairly targeted? Was this part of some bigger pattern of mistreatment?
Even politicians got involved, with one federal lawmaker claiming Clark was attacked. Like, seriously. And Carter and her teammates faced a flood of harassment. All over a play that, in her eyes, wasn’t that deep. Now, almost a year later, Chennedy’s finally speaking up.
Chennedy clears the air on Caitlin hip-check.
Compares her to Lebron and calls her a great player. pic.twitter.com/fmHG1LFjRl
— C (@C038254) April 20, 2025
She appeared on an April 20 video with popular streamer N3on and, addressed the moment that had the internet in a chokehold. “There’s things called talking,” she said. “What you like to call smack, or whatever everybody likes to call it. You know, it’s a part of basketball.” Carter explained that right before the incident, she thinks she might’ve taken an elbow. Something might’ve been said. Maybe someone got in her face. Then she hit a smooth mid-range pull-up and, in her words, just gave Clark a little “I’m here” energy. Nothing more.
She even said she and her brother rewatched the moment and compared it to NBA clips. “We seen a lot of guys pushing LeBron. It’s like one of those things—it happens in basketball. Like, I’m here. Not to like, harm you or anything.” She finished with, “I’m a great player. She’s a great player… I don’t have anything against her.”
She even added that, “They think I hate it. I love it. I love the hate.” So, there you have it. Carter says it wasn’t personal, just part of the game. But, you know what? The internet doesn’t forget. And while it’s kinda nice to hear there’s no beef, people definitely aren’t buying it.
Caitlin Clark and Chennedy said they’re cool, but fans ain’t buying it
One fan straight-up laughed it off, saying, “Y’all seriously don’t believe her do you ” See, this whole thing spiraled real quick when, right after that infamous bump, the Chicago Sky were met by a man with a camera outside their D.C. hotel before facing the Mystics. Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca told ESPN the guy was trying to approach Carter, and while security handled it without calling the cops, there were disturbing claims about him hurling racist and misogynistic comments at the players. So this wasn’t just drama on the court or internet debate, it got way too real, way too fast.
Another fan jumped in with “I’m not answering any Caitlin Clark questions head ahh,” throwing it back to Carter’s postgame press conference when she shut down every question about Clark like a brick wall. “I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,” she said. “I don’t know what she said. I didn’t say anything.” That moment really set the tone for everything that followed. Instead of easing tensions, Carter’s blunt response fanned the flames and suddenly, it wasn’t just about the foul anymore.
One fan didn’t hold back, saying, “Nobody wants to sign her. I bet some team, probably Aces, told her to do an apology tour. This doesn’t sound like an apology but she tries to explain her goofy self.” We know that Carter did show out after joining the Sky on a training camp contract, dropping 17.5 points a game and looking like a serious scoring threat. And yet, she’s still an unsigned free agent. There’s a lot of chatter online about that, too.
Sky made it clear she doesn’t fit their style, but no other team’s stepped up either. So fans are connecting the dots that maybe this sudden “no beef” comment is her trying to clean things up and get back on a roster. One fan added to that thought with, “She’s changed her tune cause no team wants to sign her,” calling out the sudden shift from total silence to full-blown explanation mode.
Right after the incident, Carter wanted nothing to do with it. Meanwhile, Caitlin Clark handled it at the time, saying, “Basketball’s competitive. I get it… emotions get the best of you—it happened to me too.” And fans remember that.
Then came the wildest comment of all, “I know this is gonna sound crazy, what if the Fever sign Carter and get Sedona Prince? More people are gonna watch to see what crazy s-ts gonna happen when these 2 are in the team!” That’s a fan imagining absolute chaos. Sedona Prince, who went undrafted—allegedly due to harassment accusations—is already facing public scrutiny.
Now throw in Carter, who’s been no stranger to controversy herself. Remember, she was suspended by the Atlanta Dream in 2021 for “conduct detrimental to the team” after an altercation with a teammate. And when the Sky passed on giving her a qualifying offer, some believed it had as much to do with behavioral concerns as with team fit.
So yes, putting Carter and Prince together might boost viewership, but not for the best reasons. But for the time being, it looks like Caitlin Clark and Carter both, per their comments, are past it and there’s no bad blood. However, while Clark heads for an already expected great season, Carter is still looking for a home.
Let’s see who takes a chance on her.
The post Nobody Believes Chennedy Carter as She Confirms No Bad Blood With Caitlin Clark appeared first on EssentiallySports.