"Caitlin Clark made a fool of herself": Jason Whitlock accuses Fever rookie of letting her team down with 'whining'

The Indiana Fever (18-17) and Caitlin Clark are in sixth place in the WNBA standings. With just five games left before the postseason and a 7-3 record in their last 10, the team is riding a positive wave as they hope to catch the fifth-place Seattle Storm (21-14).

Clark has continued to be a driving force behind the Fever's success throughout this season. However, after Friday's loss against the Minnesota Lynx, podcaster Jason Whitlock feels the Rookie of the Year betting favorite handled herself poorly.

"Caitlin Clark made a fool of herself last night. Embarrassing performance. Her lack of emotional control and hyper-focus on arguing with and showing up the refs caused the Fever to lose composure and meltdown. ... Her behavior in the third quarter is/was problematic," Whitlock wrote on X.

"She has a well-earned bad reputation with the refs. No player in the WNBA spends more time whining and bickering with the refs."

"I could have done a little bit better job controlling my own emotions," Caitlin Clark reflects on Friday's game

On Friday, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever had their five-game win streak snapped by the Minnesota Lynx. After going on an impressive run following the WNBA's return from their Olympic hiatus, the team has now dropped losses to the Lynx in two meetings over the past two weeks.

Clark was frustrated by the officiating in the Fever-Lynx game, and she wasn't the only one. Aliyah Boston got a technical in the third.

While speaking to media members after the game, Clark reflected on the situation, opening up on missed calls from referees while acknowledging she could have done better.

"I think there's definitely a line. I thought it was frustrating, I thought I got fouled a couple times there in the second half on midrange jump shots. And... it happens. Sometimes they get called, sometimes they don't. It is what it is," Clark said after the game.

"I think I could have done a little bit better job of controlling my emotions. But I think it just started bad for us and continued to snowball."

Clark and the Fever will be back in action on Sunday, Sep. 8, when they face the Atlanta Dream, as they look to continue their postseason push.