No Escape For WNBA Refs on National Radio as Officiating Blunders Not limited to Caitlin Clark’s Flagrant Foul Vs Angel Reese

Refereeing mistakes are becoming all too common in today’s sports world, whether it’s the NBA or the WNBA. Big games often come with at least one controversial call. Remember last year when the Storm crushed the Fever? Fans were listing all the times the refs went against Indiana in just one game. Players like Smith, Samuelson, and Boston felt the impact. Then, things got even stranger when Caitlin Clark took a brutal hit driving to the basket—a full-on body slam with no foul called. Even the announcers called it out as a clear missed call. And guess what? The same kind of questionable calls are happening again this year.

Of course, the biggest talking point of the season so far has been Caitlin Clark’s foul on Angel Reese, which sparked a fiery reaction from the Chicago Sky star. But after the game, both players agreed it was just a basketball play with no malicious intent. Despite that, Clark’s third foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul, leaving many analysts stunned. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only strange call the refs made during the game.

The analysts at Breakfast Club Power 105.1 FM discussed another questionable ref call that shouldn’t have stood, highlighting just how inconsistent officiating has been in the WNBA. They said, “What did Aliyah Boston get a technical for? Aliyah Boston didn’t do nothing but break them up. I was about to say she just jumped in and did what she should have done. Any normal person watching would have reacted the same way—getting in between to separate the players.”

As Reese moved to confront Clark following the incident, Fever center Aliyah Boston stepped in to separate the two players. Surprisingly, the referees handed out technical fouls to both Reese and Boston. Boston herself seemed shocked at the call during the post-game conference, asking, “Wait… I got the tech?” before covering her face in disbelief. It was definitely a strange call, and if these kinds of decisions keep happening, criticism toward the officials will only continue to grow.

This whole mess with Clark and Reese didn’t come out of nowhere—it’s part of their rivalry that’s been electric since the 2023 NCAA Championship when Reese’s LSU beat Clark’s Iowa. Last June, Clark got called for a flagrant for smacking Reese in the head while going for a block. Magic Johnson even chimed in on X, saying these two are doing for the WNBA what he and Larry Bird did for the NBA—packing arenas and boosting ratings. But with all that spotlight, every ref call feels like it’s make-or-break, and fans are fed up when the whistle doesn’t match the play.

Despite all the questions surrounding the calls, crew chief Roy Gulbeyan explained why the referees made those decisions. Let’s take a look at what he had to say.

Referee opens up about the controversial foul upgrade on Caitlin Clark

After the game, crew chief Roy Gulbeyan told pool reporter Chloe Peterson of the Indy Star the reason behind upgrading Clark’s foul to a flagrant-1.

“Okay, the foul on Clark met the criteria for Flagrant Foul 1,” he said. “For wind up, impact, and follow through for the extension of the left hand to Reese’s back, which is deemed not a legitimate basketball play, and therefore deemed unnecessary contact. After the foul, there is a physical taunt technical on Boston and a verbal technical on Reese, which offset.”

Both Clark and Boston disagreed with the refs’ decision, but they knew there wasn’t much they could do about it. It’s all part of the game, and the officials made the call they believed was right. But if situations like this keep happening, will the WNBA still be an enjoyable product? Only time will tell.