Marina Mabrey said she regrets shoving Caitlin Clark during a June 17, 2025 WNBA game, describing the moment as an emotional reaction that crossed a line as her team struggled through a loss.
The 29-year-old guard addressed the incident during a February 13 appearance on the Bird’s Eye View, revisiting the third-quarter confrontation from a matchup between the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever. Officials assessed Mabrey a technical foul after she pushed Clark to the floor.
“I know when I went too far with things. It’s like shameful. It’s like, ‘Really, Marina? That was ridiculous,’ ” Mabrey said while reflecting on the play.
She added, “That was obvious that my emotions of us losing and losing and losing, and then she’s low-key punking our team on top of it… That was too far. That was too much.”
Mabrey acknowledged a personal tendency to “crash out” in highly competitive moments and said she is working to better recognize when intensity becomes counterproductive. While emotional energy can sometimes spark teammates, she noted that losing control can hurt team performance and accountability.
“On the flip side, when we were in Indiana, everyone is booing us, it feels like s***. We end up losing by 25, and it’s like, ‘Marina, that’s your fault, buddy. You can’t do that,’ ” she said.
She added that her focus is “finding the balance where it teeters toward the positive end for me and my team and keeping that there, and knowing when it’s going past that and stopping that before it goes past that.”
She continued, “Everybody’s had that one teammate that just goes crazy, and you’re just looking at them like, ‘Can you please get over yourself?’ And I need to stay away from that side and go toward the side where you’re amped up.”
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To reinforce accountability, Mabrey said she created a personal “crash out jar,” similar to a swear jar, setting aside money for charity whenever those moments occur. She explained that the system helps her stay mindful of her behavior and maintain better composure during games.
Breaking Down The Caitlin Clark vs. Marina Mabrey Incident
The altercation followed a sequence in which Caitlin Clark was poked in the eye by Sun guard Jacy Sheldon. Clark and Sheldon then shoved each other before Marina Mabrey approached from behind and knocked Clark to the ground, prompting officials to intervene.
Referees assessed technical fouls to both Mabrey and Clark, while Sheldon received a flagrant 1 penalty. Those rulings represented the formal disciplinary outcome tied to the play during the June 17 contest.
After the game, Clark declined to focus on the confrontation and instead emphasized her approach to competition and performance.
“At the end of the day, I’m here to play basketball, and that’s what I’m going to do. My game’s gonna talk, and that’s all that really matters. I love this game, and I’m gonna give it everything I have,” she said when asked about needing to “stand up for herself.”
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The technical and flagrant penalties issued during the matchup remained the league’s immediate resolution of the incident as both teams continued their 2025 season schedules.
