Caitlin Clark Declines to Speak to Media After Fever's Loss to Valkyries, Season-Low 16 Points

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark declined to speak with reporters following Thursday's 90-88 loss to the Golden State Valkyries.

Joseph Dycus of the Mercury News said he requested to get postgame comments from Clark, only to be told by a Fever staffer she wouldn't answer questions:

The Valkyries held the 2024 Rookie of the Year to 16 points on 3-of-12 shooting, and she had six assists to five turnovers.

Ahead of the 2023 season, the WNBA enacted a new media policy that eliminated locker room access to reporters. Instead, media members could request to speak with individual players outside of the postgame press conferences.

As Thursday's situation made clear, there's still nothing stopping one or more players from simply opting out and taking a fine.

Following the 2023 WNBA Finals, the Professional Basketball Writers Association issued a statement calling out some on New York Liberty for avoiding the media after the series ended. The Liberty received a $25,000 fine as a team, while Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney all had to write a $2,000 check to the league office.

Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese said in April she's perfectly happy to take the fine rather than fulfill her media obligations if she feels it's warranted.

Clark's frustration after the defeat was evident. She didn't play well and the Fever lost a close game. If she didn't want to dwell on the result, though, she could've focused on becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to notch 1,000 career points and 500 assists.

The downside of Clark's massive popularity is that it's going to be news when she doesn't say anything after a game, just like how it was notable when the Fever made her a late scratch for their 90-73 win over the Portland Fire.

Being one of the WNBA's most visible faces comes with some added responsibilities.

The Fever, and probably Clark, can expect to hear from the league office in the coming days.