Indiana Fever, Caitlin Clark Receive News After Tense Game Against Connecticut Sun

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Borba | Last updated Jun 20, 2025 2:31 PM ET

WNBA teams have been known to go a bit harder on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, and fans saw a prime example of this during Tuesday's WNBA Commissioner's Cup game against the Connecticut Sun.

Clark was involved in multiple shoving incidents with Connecticut's second-year guard, Jacy Sheldon, and veteran Marina Mabrey. The first one occurred in the second quarter of the Fever's 88-71 win, with Clark and Sheldon exchanging words before Clark shoved Sheldon, which led to Mabrey shoving Clark.

However, the incident that took the cake took place in the third quarter, as Sheldon poked Clark in the eye. This led to Clark shoving her again, before Mabrey came flying in and threw Clark to the ground.

While the shoving matches led to all kinds of discourse about WNBA officiating and how players treat Clark, some good did come out of the Tuesday evening game.

As reported by Austin Karp of the Sports Business Journal, the game was one of the most-watched games in NBA TV history.

"NBA TV drew 624,000 viewers for @IndianaFever vs. @ConnecticutSun on Tuesday," wrote Karp. "Marks the 3rd-best @WNBA game ever for @NBATV."

Viewership records and Clark have essentially become synonymous these days, as she and the Fever's season opener against the Chicago Sky drew in 2.7 million viewers on ABC, which was the most-watched game on ESPN platforms.

Her game this past Saturday against the New York Liberty, which also marked her return from injury, racked up 2.2 million viewers on ABC, making it the third most-watched game.

While some may attempt to argue that it's not just Clark, the WNBA's viewership dropping 50% when she was out may prove otherwise. At the end of the day, Clark is must-see television.

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

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