Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rebecca Lobo Makes Clear Statement After Caitlin Clark Takes Shot to the Face

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 6:28 PM ET

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark couldn't have asked for a better return after missing the last five games with a quad strain.

On Saturday afternoon, with ESPN's Rebecca Lobo on the call, Clark and the Fever defeated Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty 102-88, handing the defending champions their first loss of the 2025 WNBA season.

Clark finished the game with a season-high 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting, eight rebounds and nine assists. But Ionescu was the game's leading scorer, adding 34 points.

With just over four minutes to play in the second quarter, Clark was attempting to run around a Kelsey Mitchell screen before taking a shot to the face from Liberty guard Natasha Cloud. She was called for a personal foul.

Shortly after Cloud’s foul, ESPN aired a replay during which Rebecca Lobo stated that the play was not driven by jealousy.

"Natasha Cloud trying to swim-move over the screen, accidentally gets Caitlin hit in the face," Lobo said. "Got her on the upswing. There's no jealousy their fans. Just a basketball foul."

The fact that Rebecca Lobo has to immediately give a disclaimer that the foul on Caitlin Clark was a basketball foul and not “jealousy” because of what the media has done says A LOT about where we are #WNBA pic.twitter.com/C8UDP558a6
— JB (@jbj23__) June 14, 2025

Clark has been involved in several exchanges similar to the one with Cloud. Many fans believe some WNBA players have shown signs of jealousy toward the 2024 Rookie of the Year, resulting in occasional skirmishes. This is likely what led to Lobo's comment.

Even NBA legend Charles Barkley believes WNBA players are jealous of Clark.

"This girl is incredible," Barkley said in Sept 2024. "The number of attention, eyeballs, she's brought to college and the pros, and for these women to have this petty jealousness. You're saying to yourself, 'Damn, what is going on here?'"

Up next for Clark and the Fever, a rematch with the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday.

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

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