Why Caitlin Clark called out ‘ridiculous’ officiating again in latest WNBA incident

Caitlin Clark's third WNBA season has resembled her second more than her first of late, with injuries keeping her off the court three times in the last six games and inefficiency plaguing the former No. 1 pick.

Frustration reached a boiling point in Wednesday's loss to the Valkyries, during which Clark shot just 1-of-8 from 3-point range.

Clark lashed out at officials during the contest and ripped the officiating following the game, after suffering what she said was a leg contusion.

Here's more to know about Clark's choice words for the officials.

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Caitlin Clark calls out ‘ridiculous’ officiating

Clark got in a referee's face after what she believed was a missed call in the first half of Wednesday game:

The contact occurred before the end of this play, with Clark taking a knee to her quad and no foul being called. The official let Clark have her moment and didn't tack on a technical foul despite the furious reaction.

"I get kneed right in the quad. That hurts. The ref can't miss that," Clark told reporters after the game. "And then I have to play with a contusion in my leg the rest of the game. It's ridiculous."

Clark has made her frustration with the officials known on the court a number of times, but her postgame comments marked some of the most pointed criticism she's offered publicly.

Here's a closer look at the play in question.

What happened to Caitlin Clark?

In this slowed-down clip, Clark appears to take a knee to the side of her upper leg, just above the knee. She later said she suffered a contusion, or a deep bruise.

Here's the play in real time, with Clark limping down the court after the contact:

Clark stayed in the game as the Fever continue to manage her minutes, scoring only 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

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Caitlin Clark injury update

Clark said she suffered a contusion near her quad in the loss, which adds onto a lingering back injury that she has been dealing with for multiple weeks.

The former Iowa phenom missed back-to-back games with back trouble before returning against the Sparks on July 8. She missed the second game of a back-to-back the following day as a precaution but has now played consecutive games for the first time since June 22 and 24.

It isn't clear whether her leg injury will affect her status going forward, but the Fever have another back-to-back ahead with games on Friday and Saturday.