Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Why She Blew Up: Caitlin Clark Says She Got Kneed in the Quad and Had to Play the Rest of the Game with an Injury

Updated 6 days ago, August 13, 2026

Caitlin Clark blew up on referee Gerda Gatling in the second quarter, throwing her hands up and storming over after a call went the other way. She’d just taken a knee to the quad, and she says the official never blew the whistle.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (#22) shouts at a referee wearing number 24 during a WNBA game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. — Caitlin Clark (#22) gets in referee Gerda Gatling’s face during the second quarter of Indiana Fever’s matchup with the Golden State Valkyries on July 15, 2026, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Photo by Brian Spurlock / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

The Fever lost 88-75 to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday, and Clark spent much of it playing hurt. She finished with 13 points and 6 assists in 26 minutes, her shot off from deep, and she says a knee to the quad left her finishing the game on a bruised leg with no foul called.

Caitlin Clark in a red Indy jersey gestures and argues with three referees on a WNBA court. — Caitlin Clark #22 confronts referees Amy Bonner, Ashley Gloss, and Roy Gulbeyan after being called for a foul in the second quarter against the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena on July 12, 2026. Photo by Ethan Miller / Getty Images.

Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 20 points, and Sophie Cunningham chipped in 10 off the bench, including a pair of free throws that briefly gave the Fever their only lead of the game. The Valkyries came in on an 8-game win streak as one of the stingiest defenses in the league, and Indiana couldn’t crack them even with Clark battling through multiple lower-body injuries.

A blonde female basketball player in a navy Indiana Fever uniform points her finger at a man on the sideline in front of a packed arena. — Sophie Cunningham points toward a coach or staff member on the sideline during a WNBA game.

When she confronted Gatling, the official told her she’d started it. “She said I initiated the contact, which is fine, you can’t knee me in the leg, knock me over,” Clark told reporters afterward.

It’s the same official who hit Clark with a technical in June for clapping at a call. The play-by-play announcer noted that some officials would have given her another technical Wednesday for how “demonstrative” she got.

Coach Stephanie White wasn’t buying the explanation either. “They said Caitlin initiated the contact. That’s all they said. She seems to always be initiating the contact,” White said. White has been pushing the officiating-consistency point for weeks, including after the June 24 game where Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas made fist contact with Clark’s throat on a loose ball, a no-call the league later upgraded to a Flagrant 2.

Caitlin Clark in a white Fever jersey holds the ball while being fouled by an opposing player in a maroon uniform. — Maria Conde #10 of the Toronto Tempo collides with Clark as she drives with the ball during Indiana’s home game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 16, 2026. Photo by Andy Lyons / Getty Images.

Clark doesn’t expect the knee to keep her out of Friday’s game against the Seattle Storm. “Ah, we’ll just rub it out,” she said. “Good old knuckles on it and call it a day.”

Stay in the loop with Thought Catalog — follow us on Facebook or visit our website.