Caitlin Clark Is Impressed By The WNBA's Officiating Changes

Few players in the WNBA, if any, are guarded more tightly than Caitlin Clark. Thanks to her shooting range and her passing prowess, Clark is constantly a focal point for opposing defenses.

Clark, who went No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has been guarded with extreme physicality since entering the league. She's often spoken out against WNBA officiating, making it clear that she believes opposing defenses get away with a little too much physicality at times.

But the WNBA has been working to fix things.

The Athletic's Annie Costabile reported that the WNBA "met multiple times this offseason and has plans to continue meeting" regarding their points of emphasis throughout the 2026 season. The league is working to "clean up some of the league's growing concerns around physicality," as the Associated Press reported.

Clark, meanwhile, has been appreciative of what she's seen.

The WNBA star has made it clear that the league needs to be prioritizing freedom of movement among WNBA players.

Clark appreciates what the WNBA is doing with its officiating process

Clark appeared on an episode of "Post Moves with Candace Parker & Aliyah Boston" and gave her thoughts.

"Physicality, I feel like that's always what I'm met with," she said. "Obviously, being a little bit on the slimmer side and the shorter side, I feel like that's probably what people do the most. I get picked up full court. They're gonna be physical coming off of screens. They're gonna be into me on the ball screen."

"So, I'm excited that freedom of movement is a point of emphasis. I appreciate that. And not that it needs to be excessive. Like, I understand that's still part of the game. But I do think it kind of began to start to cross a certain line, so excited about that. I know that was really important for the coaches over the offseason. They wanted it cleaned up. I think, more than anything, it's gonna make the product of the game a lot better, too."

Clark, who missed Wednesday night's game, is averaging 24.3 points, 9.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game this year.

Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 5:30 PM.