WNBA columnist sees Michael Jordan's competitive fire in Caitlin Clark as phenomenon similar to 'Jordan Rules' takes hold

Caitlin Clark has arguably become the face of the WNBA, representing the league and women's basketball worldwide. However, her meteoric rise to popularity has also put a target on her back during games.

Lately, the Indiana Fever superstar has faced intense physical play and frequent fouls. On Sunday, The New Yorker's Louisa Thomas compared Clark to the NBA legend Michael Jordan in an article titled, "The Caitlin Clark Rules."

She made a case that Clark is facing the same treatment Jordan experienced when he was breaking out in the NBA and was credited for the league's rise in popularity worldwide.

She referenced the “Jordan Rules,” the physical tactics Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons used to eliminate the Bulls from the playoffs in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

"It’s an obvious comp, even if Clark hasn’t yet achieved the kind of success that Jordan eventually achieved. And the comparison can be extended, giving us another way to think about Clark," Thomas wrote.

The most recent altercation involving Caitlin Clark happened on Tuesday in the Fever's 88-71 win over the Connecticut Sun. During the game's third quarter, Sun guard Jacy Sheldon poked the Fever guard in her eye. Following that, Sheldon's teammate Marina Mabrey shoved Clark.

The official in charge handed out a technical foul to Mabrey, but later on, it was upgraded to a flagrant 2. In her article, Thomas criticized the WNBA's poor officiating and stated it as a reason for the intense physicality Clark has to go through in some games.

Caitlin Clark's teammate calls out the referees after defending the Fever star

After Marina Mabrey's foul on Caitlin Clark on Tuesday, Clark's teammate Sophie Cunningham took matters into her own hands and responded to game-long physicality with a hard foul.

During a fast break in the fourth quarter, Cunningham committed a hard foul on Jacy Sheldon as the Sun guard tried to make a layup. The Fever guard wrapped her arms around Sheldon before dropping her on the ground.

On Saturday, Cunningham called out the league's referees for their poor quality in officiating games.

"I'm not focused on the extracurricular activities," She told reporters. "And you know what, during that, it was just part of the game. "I think the refs had a lot to do with that. It was a build-up for a couple of years now of them just not protecting the star player in the WNBA."

Cunningham received a flagrant 2 foul for her actions and was immediately ejected from the game. She did not face a suspension for her foul but had to pay a fine.

Edited by Ribin Peter