Chennedy Carter insists she has ‘no regrets’ about her brutal bodycheck on Caitlin Clark as the Chicago Sky player addressed the incident directly for the first time.
Carter also claimed that her shove on Clark, which has drawn huge criticism and attention in recent days, came after she was hit in the head moments earlier.
The 25-year-old appeared to yell ‘you b***h’ at the former Iowa star before knocking her to the ground. The Chicago player then refused to answer questions about Clark immediately after Saturday’s loss to the Indiana Fever.
But following practice on Monday, she said: ‘I don’t have any regrets with anything. I’m going to compete and play 100 per cent hard – no matter who it is or who we’re playing.’
Carter said she acted in the ‘heat of the moment’ and was simply retaliating. Footage appears to show Clark catching the guard with her elbow moments before she was knocked to the ground.
Caitlin Clark was inexplicably bodychecked to the ground by Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter
The Chicago player addressed the incident directly for the first time after practice on Monday
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‘I think I got hit in the head the play before and it was just one of those things that was in the heat of the moment. I don’t know Caitlin. I don’t know her from anyone but at the end of the day this is hoops, it is competitive,’ she said.
‘This is basketball, if you’re playing someone like me, I classify myself as a dawg. So if you’re going to throw a punch, I’m going to compete with you.
Carter added: ‘When we’re inside those four lines, it’s smoke. After it’s all love… we didn’t hit her like she was out on the streets. It’s just basketball.’
The 25-year-old, who received the backing of Whoopi Goldberg on Monday, was asked if she now accepted that her actions had crossed a line.
Even Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon publicly criticized the play, insisting it was ‘not appropriate’.
‘She and I have discussed what happened and that it was not appropriate, nor is it what we do or who we are,’ Weatherspoon said.
But Carter insisted: ‘There’s no line. I’m competing. I’m going to compete… if you’re going to throw punches first, I’m going to compete. It’s all love. It’s basketball.
‘This happens in the NBA. Actually, I’m focused on New York (Liberty) now, I’m not really focused on that play anymore. It happened… it’s over with.’
Clark and Carter clashed on Saturday as the Fever defeated the Sky in a close-fought battle
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Carter even claimed that the incident will bring rival players ‘closer together’ and is , in fact, good for the WNBA.
‘This is a moment that brings everyone closer and gives the league a chance to unify,’ she continued. ‘All that stuff that happened, it’s really just great for our league. It’s great competition. We’re two great players competing on a national stage… it’s all love.’
She did, however, hit out at the fallout from the incident, which has barely relented in the days following Indiana’s victory.
‘We’ve been able to take a lot of hits in the last 24, 48 hours. I’m over here smiling, I’m not complaining,’ she said.
‘I don’t know why we’re dragging it. But we continue to drag a play that happened and a whole fourth quarter happened after that… we just have to let that play go.’
Earlier this week, though, Carter took another shot at Clark, writing on social media: ‘Kudos to all of this women they have really made WNBA interesting… beside three point shooting what does (Clark) bring to the table man’
‘I ain’t answering no Caitlin Clark questions,’ Carter said at the podium following the game
When asked about those comments she said: ‘As you see everybody went on social media and let us know their opinions… it’s all fun. I don’t really take it serious. It’s just jokes.
Carter added: ‘It has become a big national story – we’ve had things thrown into hoops like racism and different things thrown to players that shouldn’t have even been brought up.
‘This is the game I love, this is the game I’m passionate about and at the end of the day, I’m thankful I’m able to display it to everybody. And if you’re gonna watch the game, watch all of the game before you make opinions.
‘Just watch the whole game and get to know the players… I’ve seen a lot of fans just not understanding who I am as a player. You have to understand me as a person too and don’t just look at one tape and form an opinion about me.’