The Indiana Fever played without Caitlin Clark early Friday morning, but controversy still found them. In front of a packed Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Fever star Aliyah Boston was shoved from behind by Rickea Jackson on a fastbreak, and the referees said nothing.
No whistle. No foul. Just another night of frustration for Indiana fans.
The No-Call That Lit Up Social Media
The three officials; Marcy Williams, Isaac Barnett, and Kelly Broomfield, watched Jackson shove Boston with 17,000 fans watching. And they let it slide. The internet didn’t.
“Rickea just shoved Aliyah in the back on a fastbreak layup and 2 refs just stared at it…” wrote a stunned fan on X.
It’s not the first time Boston has taken contact without a call. On opening night, Angel Reese pushed her during a rebound battle, but the foul was called on Clark instead. Now, with Clark out injured, it was Boston in the spotlight again, and still taking the hits without protection.
Rickea Jackson’s Rising Tension
This isn’t Jackson’s first dust-up. Two nights before, she got into it with Rebecca Allen and Angel Reese during a heated game against Chicago. The tension followed her to Indiana, where it boiled over again, this time at Boston’s expense.
Meanwhile, Boston quietly delivered a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five steals. But it wasn’t enough. The Sparks, led by Azura Stevens (23 pts) and Kelsey Plum (21 pts, 6 ast), stormed back in the fourth with a 21–8 run to win 85–75.
The WNBA Officiating Crisis Brewing in Indiana
But after the game, it wasn’t the scoreline grabbing headlines, it was the officiating.
Fever fans are growing tired. The hit on Boston was just one in a string of missed or questionable calls this season. In a recent game, Marina Mabrey shoved Caitlin Clark with no immediate foul, only for the league to later issue a Flagrant 2 and fine Mabrey after the fact.
Even Stephanie White, the Fever’s new head coach, has had enough.
“Everybody’s getting better, except the officials,” she told Yahoo Sports
And fans? They’re saying it louder.
“Refs are the REAL problem in Indiana,” one user wrote.
Is Aliyah Boston Too Strong for the Whistle?
One theory making the rounds is that Boston is simply “too strong” to get calls. Some say she’s suffering from the Shaq effect; contact that looks minor on her would send most players flying.
Even A’ja Wilson once told Boston to “stop flopping”—possibly joking, but it underscores the challenge. Boston’s strength makes fouls harder to see, harder to sell, and apparently, harder to whistle.
A League-Wide Issue Now Under a Bigger Spotlight
To be fair, the Fever aren’t alone. Nearly every WNBA team has voiced frustration with referees this year. But with Caitlin Clark drawing millions of eyes, the stakes feel bigger, and the criticism louder.
With each missed call, fans and analysts alike are asking the same thing: When will the WNBA fix its officiating problem?
Until then, it seems the Fever, and especially Aliyah Boston, will continue to play through contact, controversy, and silence from the whistle.
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