Caitlin Clark hasn’t suited up in an Indiana Fever game since pulling her groin vs. the Connecticut Sun on July 15, but that hasn’t stopped the WNBA from apparently handing her a fine.
Clark has been cheering her team on from the sidelines for the better part of two months now after being ruled out for the season a couple of weeks ago. But some of her actions appear to have rubbed the league the wrong way — at least when it comes to her latest social media activity.
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The Fever are undefeated this postseason since Caitlin started rocking black Nike Air Force 1s and have now advanced to the second round where they’ll meet A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces in a best-of-5 series on ESPN and ABC.
However, it seems Sophie Cunningham isn’t the only Fever star who’s online activity is being watched closely by Cathy Engelbert going into the Round 2 matchup.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) and the team react to the action Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.© Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
WNBA punishes Caitlin Clark for IG comment
According to the folks over at Front Office Sports, “Caitlin Clark says she was fined $200 for commenting ‘Refs couldn’t stop us’ on Instagram after the Fever’s Game 2 win over the Dream.”
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The WNBA’s officials have been under the microscope ever since more eyeballs have been on the league and several players have voiced their frustration with how some games are called.
In theory it would be no different if Caitlin had said something similar during a press conference. So it isn’t too much of a surprise that the league would try to ding her pockets in an effort to send a message about publicly criticizing its refs.
Fans not happy
Nevertheless, that didn’t stop fans from calling the W out for its decision to discipline Clark — voicing their discontent in multiple mentions on X:
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“That’s ridiculous for such a harmless comment,” a user said.
“Craziest part Caitlin was referring to the bench and their reactions (meaning the jumping up and down and sometimes on the court) and not even the refs actions in the game smh….” another claimed. “The leagues worst PR has to be @CathyEngelbert you ruin all the fun.”
“$200? Wow, im sure she learned her lesson after that hefty fine. 😒😐” a fan replied.
“Does the WNBA realize if they start paying the players more that they can also fine them more?” Phoenix Mercury host Erika Day asked.
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$200 isn’t exactly going to put Caitlin in the poor house but the fact that she’s being punished at all is probably annoying enough.
The Fever open their next playoff series vs. Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon at 3 PM ET where they’ll play the first two games on the road at Michelob ULTRA Arena before returning to the friendly confines of Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sept. 26 and 28.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
