Clark’s body language sent a very clear message

Caitlin Clark dismissed Christie Sides in the final huddleESPN / AP

Whatever Indiana Fever head coach Christie Sides was trying to tell her team in the huddle before the final play, down one point against archrival Chicago Sky, Caitlin Clark didn’t want to hear it. The superstar guard shrugged her shoulders and walked away, giving up on winning the game.

Caitlin Clark ignores coach before final shot

Fever fans were not happy. Some were displeased with Clark, while some targeted Sides for blowing a 15-point lead. Others couldn’t believe the Indiana defense allowed Angel Reese to dominate to the tune of 25 points and 16 rebounds in the Sky’s 89-88 victory.

Any trust and good vibes that were built up during Indiana’s preceding four-game win streak seemed long gone when Clark left the huddle while Sides was forming the strategy for a potential game-winning shot with 0.5 seconds remaining and her team down by one point.

On the ESPN broadcast, you could see Sides asking which player had a certain assignment during the timeout. Clark rolled her eyes, dramatically shrugged her shoulders, and appeared to say, “It doesn’t matter.”

The competitive superstar has been captured in moments of tension with teammates, referees and her own coaches during games in the past. One trait that was never in question, though, was her desire to win. Seeing Clark “give up” while her team still had a chance to hit a game-winning shot was a huge red flag to fans that signaled deeper issues.

Fans sound off on Clark-Sides coaching drama

“That attitude right there gets you benched with a winning coach and causes your teammates to not want to play with you,” said a critical fan on social media, aiming shots at both Clark and Sides. “You never give up as long as there’s a tick on the clock.”

“She was saying it doesn’t matter. There’s not enough time to get a shot off, even catch and shoot. The on-air commentators were even saying it,” one of Clark’s fans commented on X, formerly Twitter, defending the No. 1 WNBA Draft pick.

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.”

Caitlin was dubbed “disrespectful” and a “whiner,” with one basketball fan drawing comparisons to LeBron James‘ dismissive attitude toward former Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham. If something doesn’t change, it could end the same way for Sides as it did for the LA coach in charge of a superstar.

“Think it’s safe to say CC doesn’t respect her coach anymore,” warned one basketball fan. “We all know what happens when that happens.”