“All the headlines will read ‘Reeve cries foul.’ Bring it on. Bring it on. Because this s— was stolen from us.” That was Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve last year. A direct shot at the officials after losing the Finals to the Liberty. No matter the sport. One thing never changes–referees are always the villains. The WNBA is feeling that heat now more than ever. Especially since Indiana Fever drafted Caitlin Clark. Fans are furious when calls go against their team. Players lash out too, especially after tight games.
The biggest talking point of the season came when Caitlin Clark fouled Angel Reese during the heated Fever vs. Sky season opener. The moment blew up instantly, with Reese reacting in the heat of the play. But after the game, both stars downplayed the incident, calling it a normal basketball move with no bad intentions. Still, that didn’t stop the league from stepping in. Clark’s third foul was upgraded to a flagrant, and Aliyah Boston was hit with a technical–simply for trying to break things up. Analysts couldn’t understand the reason behind it and the whole basketball community was frustrated.
But that wasn’t all. The Indiana Fever vs. New York Liberty game ended in more drama. And once again, the refs were in the spotlight. The Fever had one last chance to tie or win. The ball went to Caitlin Clark. She tried to create space. With 1.2 seconds left, Natasha Cloud bumped her. There was contact– but no whistle. Clark couldn’t even get the shot off. Coach Stephanie White wasn’t happy about it nor the internet.
Even off the court, the debate kept growing. Rachel DeMita chimed in after reading an SB Nation article about the officiating in the WNBA. She didn’t hold back. “I am always dumbfounded by how many times they call fouls on screeners and how many illegal screens are set in the WNBA,” DeMita said. “Essentially what the WNBA refs call is if you fall on a screen, I don’t care, if you’re a screener and you fall down, if you’re the one running into the screener and you fall down they will call a foul on the opposite person.”
She continued, pointing out the larger issue with officiating across the league. “There’s a lot of inconsistencies, and it seems like the only thing that they’re trying to make consistent—and it was brought up in this article, and I think it’s hilarious because I’m always talking about this on my livestreams—the screens. They’re going to call fouls on the screens. Like of all things, they have to make sure that there’s no illegal screens. And yeah, there’s a lot of illegal screens.”
A lot has been said about WNBA officiating over the years. Fans still remember the 2024 NCAA semifinal between Iowa and UConn. Aaliyah Edwards was called for an illegal screen late in the game. That one call swung the result in Iowa’s favor. From Kelsey Plum to LeBron James, the basketball world wasn’t having it.
Now in the W this year– the Indiana Fever superstar has been on the receiving end as well. She’s been hit hard on screens–especially in games against the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty. And now? She’s out for two weeks with a left quadriceps injury. All because the officials didn’t step in when they should’ve. That said, the officials did offer an explanation for why Caitlin Clark’s foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1.
WNBA referee breaks down Caitlin Clark foul call in heated Fever-Sky clash
“Let’s not make it something that it’s not. It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion.” This was what Clark had to say after the game when talking about the foul and Angel Reese had a similar opinion about it as well. Both thought it was a basketball play foul and nothing else.
May 17, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts to a flagrant foul from Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) on Saturday, May 17, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Indiana Fever defeated the Chicago Sky, 93-58.Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith-IndyStar via Imagn Images
Interestingly, WNBA referee Roy Gulbeyan, the crew chief for the Fever-Sky game, gave some insight into the decision. He explained why Caitlin Clark’s foul was ruled a Flagrant 1–even though she believed it was just a common take foul.
“Okay, the foul on Clark met the criteria for Flagrant Foul 1, for wind up, impact, and follow through for the extension of the left hand to Reese’s back, which is deemed not a legitimate basketball play, and therefore deemed unnecessary contact,” Gulbeyan told Chloe Peterson of Indy Star. But that wasn’t all!
He proceeded to explain why Reese and Boston were given technical fouls as well. “After the foul, there is a physical taunt technical on Boston and a verbal technical on Reese, which offset,” Gulbeyan said.
It’s clear that WNBA officiating will be under a microscope all season long. Especially now that the Indiana Fever will most likely miss the services of their talisman for the next 4 games. And like Gulbeyan, the league’s officials might soon have to explain every controversial call they make.
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