Dave Portnoy demands WNBA referee 'fired' after controversial Caitlin Clark call (2024)

Dave Portnoy is a passionate fan of Caitlin Clark and often defends her on social media (Image: GETTY)

Barstool Sports founder and CEO Dave Portnoy called for a WNBA official to be “suspended or fired” after Caitlin Clark was handed her fifth technical foul.

On Sunday, Clark inspired the Indiana Fever to a 92-75 win over Seattle Storm. The rookie dropped 23 points and added 9 assists, but one particular moment stood out and drew the ire of Portnoy.

In the third quarter, Clark missed a shot on the offensive end before rushing back on defense. However, after the Storm scored, Clark slapped the stanchion in frustration, which led to the tech.

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Clark's technical foul marked her fifth of the season, placing her just two away from a one-game suspension underWNBArules. Portnoy was furious, taking to social media to write: “Ref should be suspended or fired tbh.”

Speaking after the game, Clark addressed the incident, revealing that the referee interpreted her action as disrespectful to the game. The 22-year-old guard said: “Reminded me of the technical I got in college where I said dammit, where it’s like a personal frustration… I think he fired me up to continue to play a lot harder.

Clark has enjoyed a record-setting rookie season in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever (Image: GETTY)

“I thought we got a lot better after he did that, so I want to thank him for that.”

The additional motivation from the official clearly helped Clark. She dominated as the Fever secured victory, but the technical foul could frustrate her down the stretch of the regular season with a playoff berth on the line.

Per WNBA regulations, a player is suspended for one game after accumulating seven technical fouls. Each additional technical foul beyond the seventh results in further suspensions, while Clark has already incurred fines totalling $1,400 this season due to her technical foul tally.

Clark’s five technical foul trails only Phoenix Mercury icon Diana Taurasi and her teammate Natasha Cloud, who each have six, for the league lead. Both Taurasi and Cloud picked up their sixth technical fouls in the loss to the Fever on Friday.

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As the season unfolds, Clark must be wary of managing her on-court emotions to avoid being penalized or suspended. Regardless, she is excelling on the court, claiming the single-season rookie assist record against the Storm.

Lexie Hull also starred for the Fever, scoring an impressive 22 points that led Clark to take to social media to say her X account is "now a Lexie Hull fan account". Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever in scoring with 27 points while Aliyah Boston led the team in rebounds with 15. Indiana travels to face the 19-8 Minnesota Lynx in their next contest on August 24.