Caitlin Clark Avoids Suspension After WNBA Walks Back Technical Foul

Clark was issued a foul after making what appeared to be incidental contact with an official in the Indiana Fever's win over the Chicago Sky on Aug. 8.

John Rigolizzo

Published: 8/10/2026, 10:14:20 PM EDT

Caitlin Clark Avoids Suspension After WNBA Walks Back Technical Foul — Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever looks on against the Chicago Sky during the first half at United Center in Chicago on Aug. 8, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has had her eighth technical foul rescinded by the WNBA.

Clark was issued a foul after making what appeared to be incidental contact with an official in the Indiana Fever's win over the Chicago Sky on Aug. 8. Had the foul been upheld, she would have faced an automatic suspension under WNBA rules. But she is set to play Tuesday night against the New York Liberty.

At the end of the third quarter, Clark handled the ball in transition on the right side of the court and drove into the lane while being guarded by the Sky's Natasha Cloud. Cloud's defense forced her under the basket and towards the back line. Clark passed the ball to Myisha Hines-Allen; Clark appeared to lose her balance, and was looking toward the field of play when she made the pass. Her momentum carried her forward into the official, but she spun away from the ref, who subsequently blew the play dead and issued a technical foul.

Clark was visibly upset and could be seen mouthing the words "for what?" on the replay. Fever head coach Stephanie White was also issued a technical foul for protesting the foul on Clark.

“She said I ran into her,” Clark told ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe after the game. “I've already watched it on the tape. So, we’ll let the league decide. But it wasn’t anything intentional or anything. So, I'm hoping it gets rescinded.”

White pleaded hers and Clark's case before reporters in the team's postgame press conference.

"My tech was for saying 'that's [expletive],'" she explained. "Even though I heard the f-bomb the whole [expletive] game, my tech was for saying 'that's [expletive].' That's a bad call. Incidental contact when you're flying out of control—and I thought her teammates should have come up and talked to her about that as well. I think that's really bad. That happens all the time in the game. Officials have to have some awareness in those moments, and it didn't happen."

Foul Rescinded

A spokesman for the WNBA said the foul was rescinded a few hours after the game ended. The Fever's game preview on their official website has Clark listed as a probable starter for Tuesday's game.

Clark received her seventh technical foul of the WNBA season in the Fever's July 22 game against the Connecticut Sun. At the end of the third quarter, Clark advanced the ball into the perimeter while being guarded by the Sun's Saniya Rivers. She was fouled by the Connecticut Sun's Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who switched on to her.

After passing the ball to an official at the end line, she pointed Rivers out to a nearby official. Rivers looked at Clark and began trash-talking. Clark could be seen mouthing the words "Look up at the scoreboard" when the Fever were leading 95-67 at the time.

Clark's teammates held her back; the referee blew his whistle and gave both Clark and Rivers technical fouls.

"She said that she was locking me up, so I said, 'Scoreboard,'" Clark said at her postgame press conference. "And the ref didn't like that."

The Fever went on to win the game, 123-88.

Excluding Saturday's tech, Clark is tied for the most in the league with the Atlanta Dream's Angel Reese. It's also the most she has had in a season in her career, which is notable because her previous high of 6 came from a full season; as of July 22, she was only 23 games into a 44-game season.

Technical fouls also carry steeper penalties this season. Last season, a tech carried a $200 fine, which doubled to $400 for four to six techs, and $800 for each foul at the seventh and above. This season, the first three fouls come with $500 fines; numbers four to seven come with a $1000 fine, and a warning letter from the WNBA after the fifth tech.

Upon reaching eight techs, a player receives a $1,500 fine and a one-game suspension; from then on, each subsequent foul carries a $1,500 fine, while every two techs merits both the fine and a one-game suspension.