From comments like “Elite bench mob” and “Refs couldn’t stop us”, Caitlin Clark showed that she wasn’t willing to hold back in her criticism of the officials in the aftermath of round 1. Each contest featured no fewer than 36 fouls, with Game 1 alone piling up 43 whistles. No matter what, the league did not take Clark’s comments well, and she received a $200 fine. Fortunately, the Fever star’s teammate was willing to back her with a sarcastic quip.
Sophie Cunningham recently took to her official X account to share a tweet with her 272,000 followers. She retweeted Cailtin Clark’s X tweet, in which CC highlighted her previous comments about the “Elite bench mob”, and “Refs couldn’t stop us”, and wrote that “Got fined $200 for this lol😂😂😂😂😂BENCH MOB WILL BE EVEN MORE ROWDY TOMORROW LETS GOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! @IndianaFever”.
Adding her own words, Cunningham said, “That’s gonna really break the bank for her. starting a GoFundMe now!”. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cailtin Clark’s current net worth is listed as $10 million. While she was paid $78,066 in the second year of her WNBA contract, she earns millions in endorsement deals with around a dozen companies.
Clark earned $3.1 million in NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals in college. In 2024, she signed an 8-year, $28 million deal with Nike that pays her $3.5 million per year. Her multiyear endorsement deal with renowned sporting goods maker Wilson also includes a signature basketball collection, making her the only other athlete to have one after Michael Jordan.
Therefore, Clark is well-positioned to pay off the fine.
Caitlin Clark herself is only supporting her team from the sidelines. She had been ruled out for the season and the playoffs due to a groin injury. Sophie Cunningham was also ruled out after she got injured during an August 17 game against the Connecticut Sun. And yet, the duo keep supporting their teammates.
During the 1st quarter of Game 2, Clark and Cunningham made a demonstrative gesture to officials as they protested that a Dream player should be called for traveling. Clark was seen imitating the gesture again, playfully, during a later part of the game when officials called a travel on Atlanta. This protest extended even after the game, as Clark took to the comments section of an Instagram post to highlight her frustration.