Some Indiana Fever Fans believe they have detected at least a subtle shot at Fever coach Christie Sides, while Caitlin Clark praised her former college coach Lisa Bluder.
On Monday, Clark won the Honda Cup Award for the second consecutive year. The prestigious award is given to the top female college athlete.
Though Clark is in the WNBA, the award is for the 2023-2024 season. The WNBA is unlike other major sports leagues in that it starts very soon after rookie players graduate college.
Clark beamed as she praised her teammates while recalling her time at Iowa. However, when Clark began talking about her former coach, Lisa Bluder, some on X felt like the star point guard was sending a message to her current coach.
“I think that [the sisterhood at Iowa] is the reason we were as good as we were,” Clark said. “Coach Bluder, in my eyes, she’s the best leader I’ve ever been around in my life.”
Clark continued, “She knows how to build a team; she knows how to get individuals to work together.”
"I think that's the reason we were as good as we were ... because of that bond that we shared."
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) June 25, 2024
- reigning @CWSA_HondaCup winner Caitlin Clark on her @IowaWBB run pic.twitter.com/LTZGVEEUIz
It didn’t take long for fans on X to read between the lines and interpret the praise of Bluder as a condemnation of Fever coach Christie Sides.
She said “you suck Christie Sides” pic.twitter.com/nvww3nSAVL
— Christie’s side piece 💋 (@letCCcook) June 25, 2024
Sneaking dissing Sides 🔥🙂↕️ https://t.co/64YRYklSou
— Bj 🎞 (@fettyfilm) June 25, 2024
Lol that’s a play out of lebrons book
— Bj 🎞 (@fettyfilm) June 25, 2024
Bluder to Indy ASAP!
— CMSLA[G]LE (@cm_slagle) June 25, 2024
Completely.
— suspiria1966 (@idrinkcoffeeblk) June 25, 2024
And well deserved
That's Caitlin's way of throwing Sides under that bus and she knows exactly what she's saying, every word she says the media and fans listen to, she was pissed on that court yesterday but was fine in the postgame, change is coming and Caitlin knows, same as us fans all hope.
— scott devlin (@scottde07820838) June 25, 2024
It seems unlikely this was a deliberate attempt to throw her coach under the bus. If for no reason other than the simple fact that Sides is likely to be canned at the end of the year anyway, without Clark saying anything.
Though, whether intentional or not, it’s clear that Clark doesn’t believe her current coach measures up to her college coach.
