Team USA cruised to a commanding 105-64 win against Czechia. The 41-point victory was their third straight as Kara Lawson’s squad remained undefeated in Group D of the FIBA World Cup.
Caitlin Clark, however, sparked a very different conversation online. The Indiana Fever superstar continued to struggle with her shot, but one made 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter was enough to set social media off after cameras caught an awkward moment on the Team USA bench.
WNBA World Rips Team USA After Jackie Young Appears to Tell Teammate to Clap for Caitlin Clark
Team USA was comfortably ahead 96-58 with 3:20 left in the fourth quarter when Clark finally connected from beyond the arc.
The camera then zoomed in on the Team USA bench, where Jackie Young appeared to tell Kahleah Copper to clap after Clark’s long-range shot.
The brief moment immediately caught the attention of Clark’s fans, who questioned why Young seemingly had to remind her teammate to celebrate a basket by one of their own.
“I don’t know which is worse: Jackie Young telling Kahleah Copper, ‘You better clap,’ because she’s annoyed by the Caitlin Clark attention, or Kahleah genuinely not wanting to clap until she was told to. Either way, it just rubs me the wrong way,” Jaime Lardis wrote.
“THE HATE IS REAL…..” another Clark supporter posted.
“Jealousy is such an evil thing. This (expletive) me off so bad,” one Clark fan vented.
“One-sided beef, mind you. CC has done NOTHING to them. Genuinely want them to give a reason as to why they don’t like her, that doesn’t include ‘her fans’ behavior’ because she doesn’t & can’t control what other people do/say. So what has CAITLIN done to hurt them,” another X user questioned.
The reaction continued to snowball, with LetsTalkSports calling the moment “pathetic.”
“IMAGINE HATING SO HARD SOMEONE HAS TO REMIND YOU TO CLAP WHEN YOUR OWN TEAMMATE SCORES… This is Team USA, not Team Everybody Except Caitlin Clark,” the account posted.
HeroOfTheDay X handle shared the clip as well and accused Clark’s teammates of showing jealousy toward the Fever star.
“Unbelievable……. Watch what she says here, then peep the body language. Everyone with a set of eyes can see the rampant jealousy for Caitlin Clark permeating women’s basketball. Enough is enough! Why won’t someone tell them the insecure and childish behavior must stop?”
Clark, meanwhile, had a mixed night on the floor. The 3-pointer was her only make from deep as she finished with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting, including 1-of-6 from beyond the arc.
The performance came after an even rougher shooting night against Italy, when Clark went 0-for-6 from the field.
Still, Team USA had little trouble handling Czechia, a much-needed response after their far less convincing showing against Italy, where they narrowly escaped with a win. They will now look to keep that momentum going in the quarterfinals, while Clark tries to rediscover the shooting form that has been missing over the last two games.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.