Caitlin Clark says she was fined $200 for social-media ref criticism

Sidelined Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark says she was fined by the WNBA for a comment she made on Instagram criticizing league referees.

"Got fined $200 for this," Clark posted on her Twitter account Saturday with multiple cry-laughing emojis. The caption accompanied a screengrab of a "refs couldn't stop us," comment Clark made on Instagram on Sept. 17, the day after the Fever's Game 2 win over the Atlanta Dream in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.

Clark, the Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-WNBA player last year, has been sidelined since July 15 with a groin injury. She announced Sept. 4 that she had been ruled out for the remainder of her second season.

Despite the absences of Clark and multiple other contributors to season-ending injuries -- and despite Clark's feelings about the officiating -- the Fever rallied from a Game 1 loss to win the best-of-three series over the Dream with an 87-85 Game 3 road victory.

After the franchise's first playoff series win since 2015, the Fever will take on the second-seeded Aces in a best-of-five semifinal series starting Sunday in Las Vegas.

They'll be without Clark on the court, but she'll remain in what she calls the "bench mob" courtside.

Clark has a listed WNBA salary of $78,066 this season, but she certainly brings in far more income than that from endorsements.