Caitlin Clark 'Really Hard' for WNBA Officials, Legend Rebecca Lobo Says

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 4:44 PM ET

When it comes to handling superstars, no one has it tougher than the refs. Officials who blow the whistle too often when working games with superstar players will be accused of coddling them. Officials who don't blow the whistle enough will be accused of allowing defenses to manhandle and maul the league's best assets. And Caitlin Clark is not only a superstar, she is the WNBA's best asset.

The calls are always going to be criticized, and because it is Clark, they'll be magnified.

That notion was crystallized this week when the officials working the Connecticut Sun game in Indiana on Tuesday allowed the physicality of the Sun--especially longtime Clark nemesis Jacy Sheldon--to devolve into tensions and serval far-too-physical plays, including Sheldon whacking Clark in the eye and Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham doing a takedown of Sheldon on a drive to the basket late in the Indiana win.

Basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo, now an ESPN analyst, says she can feel for refs because calling Clark's games is so difficult, given the level of physicality and attention Clark attracts. But Lobo adds, WNBA officiating has a long way to go.

Speaking on "SportsCenter" on Thursday, Lobo said, "I think you have to look at things a little bit holistically. I think Caitlin Clark is a really hard player to officiate, much like Diana Taurasi was throughout the course of her career. For a couple of reasons—Caitlin Clark regularly gets picked up in the full court. She also gets blitzed more over the course of her career than any player in WNBA history, or in that period of time.

Joined Sportscenter today to talk women’s hoops, including the state of officiating in the @WNBA. pic.twitter.com/HAahPf0hPB
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) June 19, 2025

"And she also creates some contact herself on the offensive end of the floor. She is very difficult to officiate because of all of the contact that is happening around her all of the time."

But Lobo is not letting the league off the hook, either.

"That being said, I was in contact with a number of WNBA coaches yesterday about this topic of officiating in the WNBA, and all of them said it needs to get better," Lobo explained. "Specifically, the consistency, not only from one game to the next but within each game.

"One coach told me, ‘We tell our players to be as physical as they can possibly be for 40 minute because we know that for 38 of them, they’re pretty much going to get away with it.’ So, I think everybody would like to see a tighter whistle and a little more freedom of movement."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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