Not a winning player’: Criticism mounts for Caitlin Clark after she ‘choked’ again

Aug 22, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts during the second half against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

Earlier this month, Caitlin Clark drew criticism from fans and media after she missed two free throws that would have essentially clinched the game for her team in a game the Indiana Fever ultimately lost in overtime. Now, Clark is facing criticism for her late-game performance yet again.

During Saturday night’s game against the New York Liberty, Clark had the ball in her hands with a chance to tie the game in the final minute of regulation, but she made some puzzling choices that ultimately resulted in a loss for the Fever.

Clark’s Mistakes

Late in Saturday’s game against the Liberty, Clark had the ball with just under 50 seconds remaining on the clock with the Fever trailing by a score of 103-100. Instead of going for a three-point shot to potentially tie the game or working the ball for a high-percentage shot, Clark drove toward the basket and flailed to try to draw a foul, but it wasn’t given.

Instead of getting back on defense quickly and trying to keep it a one-score game, Clark was slow to get up as she expressed her frustration with the referees. When she did eventually get back on defense, she immediately fouled Liberty guard Pauline Astier unnecessarily, eliciting visible frustration from teammate Kelsey Mitchell, who led the team with 25 points and extended her WNBA record of 22 consecutive games with at least 20 points.

Caitlin Clark CHOKED in crunch time

Down 3, she foul baited instead of taking a 3, then immediately fouled and sent New York to the line for NO reason.

She then bricked 2 free throws pic.twitter.com/XGvA9IkDDb

— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) August 23, 2026

Things got even worse for Clark on the next offensive possession. Clark went to the free-throw line with 24 seconds left with a chance to cut it to a one-possession game. However, just like the previous crunch time situation, Clark missed both free throws to essentially seal the loss.

‘Needs to be better’

Needless to say, Clark received some heavy criticism for her late-game failures.

“ Caitlin Clark CHOKED in crunch time. Down 3, she foul-baited instead of taking a 3, then immediately fouled and sent New York to the line for NO reason. She then bricked 2 free throws,” wrote prominent sports parody account BrickCenter in a post on X .

“ Caitlin Clark needs to be better in crunch time. You CANNOT let your emotions get the best of you, forcing you to commit a bad foul & then miss two free throws AGAIN at the end of a game…” wrote Jon Root of OutKick in a post on X .

“Out of control, Reckless, bad shot quality, Tantrum behavior, Low IQ hurts team, deflates teammate, infamous victim celly, total yips off the top rope for the finisher. Whew!” wrote prominent Los Angeles Lakers fan account Lakers Guru in a post on X .

“I’ll never understand the point of intentionally fouling in a clutch situation just because you didn’t get a call. I understand Caitlin Clark being upset about not getting the call, but she didn’t even try to not foul on the other end with her team down 3. You just can’t do that,” wrote Brooklyn Nets reporter Sharif Phillips-Keaton of the Nets Wire .

“Not a winning player,” wrote prominent basketball content creator Jon Reed in a post on X .

We’ll have to see how Clark bounces back from this disappointing game.

The post ‘Not a winning player’: Criticism mounts for Caitlin Clark after she ‘choked’ again appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions .

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: Yahoo Sports. Open at source →