The Indiana Fever suffered its third loss of the season on Thursday night at the hands of the Golden State Valkyries. The Fever entered the contest looking like a legitimate title contender, but ended the game with looming questions, especially surrounding superstar point guard Caitlin Clark.

Clark had her least effective outing of the young season, not only struggling from the field, scoring 16 points on 3-of-12 shooting, but also failing to protect the ball, committing five turnovers. To make things worse for Clark, Golden State had massive success attacking her on defense, scoring a whopping 28 points with Clark as the primary defender.

Her struggles on the floor, coupled with a very hostile Valkyries crowd, may have gotten under Clark’s skin, as cameras caught her blowing up at a referee in the middle of a possession after not being awarded with drawn foul.

Caitlin Rage Baiting Cari Champion? pic.twitter.com/VGU1yaDCAP

— Future Of The Retro (@TraeK_) May 29, 2026

Lacking in maturity?

Fans on social media questioned Clark’s maturity level after the exchange.

“She’s a f*****n baby I hope she don’t even sniff a championship,” one fan wrote on X.

“CC hasn’t matured one bit, while her fans online go after Black W players and anyone who doesn’t praise and excuse her,” someone else wrote.

“You never winning a championship with this woman,” one fan wrote.

“(Clark) throws tantrums every game,” another fan added.

Interestingly, sports media personality Cari Champion called out Clark’s behavior on the court in her Flagrant & Funny podcast before the game.

“The more we get to catch these glimpses of Caitlin Clark, I’m like, ‘I don’t like you. I don’t like the way you behave on the court,’” Champion said.

Fans and media members were also frustrated by Clark’s decision to decline a media session after the loss. Clark will have another chance to improve her performance, conduct, and relationship with the media on Saturday night against the Portland Fire.

The post ‘Never winning a championship with this woman’: Criticism rises after cameras catch Caitlin Clark throwing a ‘tantrum’ appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever traveled west to take on the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday night, and it’s safe to say that they didn’t get a warm reception from the home crowd.

During Thursday night’s game, Clark in particular received some rather hostile attention from the Golden State crowd as she was showered with boos from the fans almost every time she touched the ball in the 90-88 loss to the Valkyries.

One fan shared a video of the environment on social media. In the video, Clark can be seen taking the ball up the court as the point guard. All while she holds the ball, the fans in attendance booed her. The arena then erupted in cheers when she drove into the lane and lost the ball while attempting a layup.

The Valkyries crowd is booing the hell out of Caitlin Clark every time she touches the ball.

Every game is a home game for the Fever? Not in the Bay Area. pic.twitter.com/bPQh8L1bCu

— Joseph Dycus (@joseph_dycus) May 29, 2026

“The Valkyries crowd is booing the hell out of Caitlin Clark every time she touches the ball. Every game is a home game for the Fever? Not in the Bay Area,” the fan wrote in the caption of the video.

This cold reception comes about a week after a tense showdown between the Fever and the Valkeyries in Indianapolis. During last week’s game, Clark was at the center of a few heated exchanges with Golden State players, the most high-profile of which involved the Fever superstar taunting Golden State guard Tiffany Hayes. Hayes then responded with some strong words of her own before stoking the controversy with some social media comments after the game.

While Clark said before the game that she had no “bad blood” with the Valkyries or any player on the Golden State roster, it’s pretty clear that the Golden State fans did not necessarily feel the same way about Clark.

Fans Weigh In

The chorus of boos from the Golden State crowd led to mixed reactions from fans. Some saw it as disrespectful, given everything Clark has meant to the league since she joined in 2024. Others saw it as a sign of respect for a great player.

“I’m fine with this. But Caitlin should not go out to sign autographs for them either,” one fan wrote in a post on X.

“ALOT of these markets are over it….. The OGs that have been there forever want their home floor back when the casuals try to invade,” another fan commented.

“Why were they lining up for autographs to act like this? Not complaining- they should boo. But she shouldn’t sign for them either,” someone else added.

“U do realize a player who gets boos means the ultimate respect as a superstar !! Kobe and MJ know the feeling,” a fan wrote.

“The ironic thing is… they would not even have a team without CC in the league. expansion because the iron is hot. it is not all CC but its majority,” another fan pointed out.

“I love it. It’s great for basketball,” someone else argued.

A player as popular as Clark is going to elicit some sort of reaction everywhere she plays, and she probably wouldn’t have it any other way.

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The defending WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces had a tough time on Thursday night against the Dallas Wings as they fell 95-87, and Aces head coach Becky Hammon was not happy with the officiating.

There was plenty that Hammon was unhappy about after the game, and to be fair, most of her frustration was directed at her own team. However, Hammon did have a pretty significant gripe with the officiating. More specifically, Hammon was upset about the free-throw disparity.

During the game, the Dallas Wings shot 22 free throws, making 19 of them. The Aces, however, shot just 12 free throws, making just 7 of them. Even reigning MVP A’Ja Wilson was unable to get to the free-throw line.

A dominant post player, Wilson typically shoots a lot of free throws throughout the course of a game. That was not the case on Thursday night as she attempted just one free throw throughout the entire game.

Needless to say, Hammon was not at all happy about this split, and she did not hold back her true thoughts on the officiating during her postgame press conference as she fully acknowledged that her comments would almost certainly earn her a fine from the league.

“A’Ja Wilson shoots one free throw, Chennedy Carter shoots zero, Jackie Young – zero. I’m [expletive]ing tired of that bull[expletive],” Hammon told the media bluntly after the game.

“I’m not saying they didn’t earn their 22 [free throws] down there, but when Awak Kuier shoots more free throws than A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chennedy Carter all combined, that’s a problem. We’re not getting the same whistle.”

“Give me my fine,” she said as she walked away from the podium.

The Aces will have a chance to bounce back this weekend when they travel to take on the Golden State Valkeyries on Sunday.

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"The Panda" Jingnan Xiong forces Samara Santos to tap to strikes, defending her ONE strawweight title & improving to 13-1. The standing hammer fist was first given credit for the finish, but it was the turning back kick to the body that apparently did the damage #BeyondTheHorizonpic.twitter.com/bNJL3oZbwF— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) September 8, 2018

"The Panda" puts Michelle Nicolini DOWN in Round 1! 🐼 #ONEEmpower #WeAreONE #ONEChampionshippic.twitter.com/c2YyVgRC4c— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) September 3, 2021

The trilogy fight between Xiong and Lee lived up to its billing. #ONEonPrimeVideo2pic.twitter.com/iSBsiWw1Ki— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) October 1, 2022

Atlanta Dream superstar forward Angel Reese has struggled on the offensive side of the ball throughout her career, but she has always been a strong defender. In fact, she was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the Unrivaled three-on-three basketball league during the WNBA offseason. However, she did not have a strong defensive performance on Wednesday night.

After Reese talked up the Dream for having the top record in the WNBA, Atlanta promptly lost that designation as they fell 96-81 to the Minnesota Lynx, giving the Lynx the top record in the league.

While Reese had a relatively strong game despite the loss, scoring 10 points while leading the team with eight rebounds and five assists, she did struggle consistently on the defensive side of the ball, especially when she was defending Lynx star Natasha Howard.

Howard had an absolutely dominant performance in the post, where she was primarily guarded by Reese, putting up 22 points in the game on a 11-for-16 shooting performance from the field. Reese had a had time staying in front of Howard on  and especially struggled defending Howard on the pick and roll, and fans certainly took notice as Reese faced heavy criticism on social media.

“Angel Reese is getting sliced and diced by Natasha in pick and roll oh my. Too easy. That’s DPOY though, right?” one fan wrote in a post on X.

“Natasha Howard is absolutely cooking AngelReese,” someone else added.

“Angel was getting demolished in pick and roll, Howard dominated her up and down the court,” commented another fan.

“Howard taking AngelReese to school. I thought she played defense,” another fan wrote.

“Natasha Howard is having her way with AngelReese,” someone else commented.

“Angel Reese is getting blown by every play and can’t make it up the court. Natasha Howard of all people is gassing her,” another fan wrote.

Reese often struggles on the offensive side of the ball with both her shooting and her turnover issues, but she is typically a strong defender. We’ll have to see whether or not this game was an anomaly or if this will be a point of concern for Reese going forward.

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Superstar Angel Reese turned a lot of heads this week when she emphatically declared that her Atlanta Dream was the top team in the WNBA just five games into the season. It certainly did not take long for her to be proven wrong.

With a 4-1 record, the Dream technically had the top winning percentage in the WNBA this week heading into their game with the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday night. However, it’s worth noting that they had also played the fewest games of any team in the league. But that didn’t stop Reese from talking it up, anyway.

Reese addressed the crowd at this year’s Birthday Bash ATL, an annual hip hop festival in the city. During her speech, she brought up the fact that the Dream were the “number one team” in the WNBA at the moment.

“Well, this is my first Birthday Bash, and I’m really excited,” Reese said earlier this week. “On behalf of my teammates, we appreciate the support that y’all show us in the city, and we the number one team right now in the W.”

Unfortunately for Reese, she was proven wrong immediately, the very next game.

On Wednesday night, the Dream took on the Minnesota Lynx, where they put their league-best record to the test. It’s safe to say that they did not pass the test.

The Dream was beaten decisively on Wednesday night with the Lynx coming out on top by a final score of 96-81. Atlanta did not lead at any point in the game. At one point, the Dream amassed a 19-point lead.

As for Reese, she had a relatively strong individual performance, scoring 10 points while leading the team with eight rebounds and five assists. However, both the scoring and rebound totals were well below her career averages in those categories.

Reese also struggled mightily on the defensive end, where she usually thrives. Minnesota post player Natasha Howard put up 22 points, going 11-for-16 from the field while being primarily guarded by Reese.

With the loss, Atlanta no longer has the top record in the WNBA. That is now the Lynx, who have a 5-2 record, including a win over the previous “number one team” in the league.

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The Atlanta Dream might have the best record in the WNBA right now, with four wins to just one loss, but the stats seem to indicate that star forward Angel Reese is hurting the team more than she’s helping.

The Dream added Reese this offseason through a high-profile trade with the Chicago Sky. But despite Reese’s star power, the stats indicate that the team has actually been better when Reese is off the court rather than when she is playing.

Reese Hurts Her Team

While Reese has developed a reputation as the top rebounder in the game, as well as a consistent scorer, ESPN’s Net Points metric paints a grim picture of what she has actually meant to the Dream.

ESPN’s Net Points metric is designed to give a complete picture of what a player means to a team, as it “gives offensive and defensive credit to players corresponding to points added to the team point differential.” Unfortunately for Reese, she does not fare well in this statistic.

This season, Reese’s overall Net Points rating sits at -13 – -12 on offense and -1 on defense – indicating that she is actively hurting her team when she is on the court, and the team actually performs better when she has been off the court.

This was certainly the case in a recent game against the Las Vegas Aces when Reese was benched down the stretch after going just 1-for-8 from the field while turning the ball over eight times. With Reese on the bench, the team was able to mount a late comeback.

Criticism Mounts

Needless to say, this statistic led to a lot of reactions from fans on social media who were quite critical of the Dream star.

“Been saying this since game one for the Dream. They are making massive comebacks and winning games when angel reese is off the court. Embarrassing cultural movement,” a fan wrote in a post on X.

“Wow. This is diabolical. With her insanely low shot percentage and high turnover rate it’s not surprising however. Her stans of course will make up excuses,” another fan said.

“Funny how the Dream are better without Angel while the Fever are better with CC and yet the W Media discourse tries to say the opposite… well, them and the Fever coach,” someone else added.

“So glad people are opening their eyes,” another fan added.

“Yikes! She really is bad for this team,” someone else wrote.

“Proof, she is the 4th option… at best. Why did she take 16 shots the previous game?” another person commented.

Reese was able to bounce back with two strong performances since her eight-turnover performance against the Aces. We’ll have to see how she performs on Thursday night when the Dream takes on the New York Liberty.

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