When the game is on the line, Caitlin Clark seems to give up on Fever coach Christie Sides and disregard her.

Clark made a pretty clear statement with his body language.
Caitlin Clark wasn’t interested in hearing anything Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides was trying to teach her players in the team meeting prior to the game’s last play—the team was trailing Chicago Sky by one point—before the play. The all-star guard gave up trying to win the game, shrugging her shoulders and turning to go.

Before the last shot, Caitlin Clark ignores her coach.
Fans of Fever were not pleased. While some were angry at Clark, others went after Sides for losing a 15-point lead. Others were shocked that Angel Reese, who led the Sky to an 89-88 triumph, was able to dominate with 25 points and 16 rebounds thanks to the Indiana defense.

With 0.5 seconds left and her team trailing by one point, Sides was formulating a play for a potential game-winning jumper when Clark exited the huddle. Any trust and positive energy that had been built up during Indiana’s previous four-game winning streak was long gone.

During the timeout, Sides was seen on the ESPN broadcast questioning which player had a certain assignment. With a dramatic shrug of her shoulders and rolling of her eyes, Clark seemed to be saying, “It doesn’t matter.”

The fierce athlete has previously been seen on camera getting into arguments with coaches, referees, and teammates during games. Her will to succeed, however, was one quality that was never questioned. Fans saw Clark “give up” when her team still had a chance to make a game-winning shot, which raised serious concerns about more serious problems.

Comments on the turmoil surrounding Clark-Sides coaching
A disgruntled fan on social media criticized Clark and Sides, saying, “That attitude right there gets you benched with a winning coach and causes your teammates to not want to play with you.” “You never give up as long as there’s a tick on the clock.”

“She stated that it is irrelevant. Not even enough time to catch and shoot, let alone get off a shot. One of Clark’s supporters defended the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft on X, formerly Twitter, claiming, “The on-air commentators were even saying it.”

Others shifted the blame, like one user who wrote: “Maybe this was the game she realized some of her teammates just suck and can’t be relied upon in the clutch.”