Caitlin Clark is getting ahead of potential issues she may have with WNBA referees.
The superstar Fever guard said she has been meeting with referees before each game to avoid suspensions over her technical foul count.
Clark has a league-high seven and an eighth would result in an automatic suspension.
“I feel like the refs might also know I have seven technical fouls, so I always try to warn them, like, ‘I’m working with you, I’m working with you, like, let’s have a conversation,’” Clark told reporters Thursday.
“I think it’s made my conversations with them more positive and more conversational in both ways for them and for me.”
Indiana (26-14) is embroiled in a playoff race, with seven of the league’s eight playoff teams separated by just five games with three to four remaining, depending on the team.
The fifth-seeded Fever are looking to leapfrog the fourth-seeded Dream, who they trail by a half-game.
“I mean, I really only have three more games to go, because [if] the fourth game starts [and] I get a technical, I’m not kicked out of the game, and then it resets for the playoffs,” said Clark, who has carried seven technical fouls since July 22. “So, I’m really proud of myself, but still three games to go.
“And I think it’s helped me learn a lot about myself and the ways that I can impact my team and how to communicate with the refs and things that are going to help this team. But I think it’s just allowed me to focus on the things that are important and going to continue to try to do that.”
Clark has seven technical fouls in the regular season, but that total will reset in the playoffs, leaving her with only the rest of the regular season to get through as her squad battles for a playoff spot.
She actually received her eighth technical foul in an Aug. 8 game against the Sky, but the league later rescinded it.
Clark and Angel Reese are tied for the lead in technical fouls.
The Fever return from hiatus Friday after the league paused for the FIBA Women’s World Cup, where Clark helped Team USA win gold.
Indiana visits the Tempo on Friday, while the Dream face the Sky on Saturday.
