On Monday, Caitlin Clark received a technical foul against the Phoenix Mercury for clapping at their bench. The WNBA chose not to rescind it, resulting in a $1,000 fine for the Indiana Fever star for her fifth technical of the season. Paige Buckers is taking precautions and has learned from what she witnessed.
In a recent interview on ESPN's "SportsCenter," the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year acknowledged that refereeing in the league is not easy.
"Officiating is an extremely hard job, and I would not want to be a ref," Bueckers said. "It's hard to officiate when last year it got pretty physical at times. It's like 'WWE Smackdown'"' sometimes.
"They obviously tried to set the tone at the beginning of the season that they want to clean it up and make it a safer, cleaner game."
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Bueckers added that she'll be more careful with her actions on the court, particularly clapping, to avoid getting fined.
“What I’ve learned is clapping is a non-negotiable," Bueckers said. "So I’m gonna try to stay away from clapping. No promises, but I don't want to keep losing money."
The WNBA fines players $500 for their first to third technical fouls. It increases to $1,000 for the fourth to seventh, and $1,500 beyond that, along with suspensions.
Bueckers has been on fire this season. She's averaging 19.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists. The 24-year-old has led the Dallas Wings to an 11-6 record, currently good for the No. 5 seed.
The team is coming off a disappointing campaign, finishing with the league's worst slate at 10-34. However, she and the Wings have bounced back strong and could reach the playoffs for the first time in three years.
