The basketball world was stunned when the Connecticut Sun waived DeShields shortly before the 2025 season opener. The official explanation? A nagging ankle injury that sidelined her during training camp. But beneath the surface lies a far more dramatic — and controversial — tale.
August 2024: The Moment Everything Changed
It was supposed to be just another regular-season clash between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky. But what unfolded that night would ignite a firestorm across sports media and social networks. Rookie phenom Caitlin Clark — already hailed as a transformative figure for the league — drove to the basket when DeShields delivered a punishing foul that sent Clark crashing to the hardwood.
Fans held their breath. Refs upgraded the hit to a Flagrant 1. The crowd booed. Social media exploded.
What should have been a forgettable hard foul became a flashpoint in the ever-growing national conversation surrounding Clark’s meteoric rise — and the resentment it may have provoked from veteran players.
Hate Mail and Headlines
In the hours that followed, DeShields was thrust into a media frenzy. Online trolls bombarded her with hateful messages — some of them cruelly targeting her past battle with health issues, including a spinal tumor that nearly ended her career. Despite the noise, DeShields stood her ground, sharing screenshots of the vile comments and calling out the toxicity that plagues both social media and sports culture.
But the damage was done. In a league increasingly shaped by public opinion and viral moments, DeShields’ name was now inextricably linked to “the hit on Caitlin Clark.”
The Unraveling
Though there was no immediate suspension or formal reprimand, whispers began swirling. Was DeShields’ foul a deliberate act? A message to the rookie who was quickly becoming the face of the WNBA? Or simply the result of a heated game and competitive spirit?
Fast-forward to 2025. DeShields signs with the Connecticut Sun, a team looking to bolster its roster with experienced talent. But before she could suit up for a single regular-season game, the franchise abruptly waives her, citing injury concerns.
Still, many fans and insiders aren’t buying it.
“I don’t think it’s just the ankle,” one anonymous league source told a WNBA podcast. “There’s baggage now. Whether fair or not, the Caitlin Clark foul changed how teams view her.”
A Career in Limbo
Now a free agent, DeShields finds herself in an unexpected limbo. Once a vital part of the WNBA’s future, she’s now a cautionary tale of how quickly things can change. The league hasn’t released any statement connecting her dismissal to the 2024 incident, but fans continue to debate the real reasons behind her fall from grace.
Meanwhile, Clark continues to soar — smashing rookie records, packing stadiums, and becoming the most talked-about athlete in women’s basketball.
Final Thoughts: Villain or Victim?
Was Diamond DeShields simply a casualty of bad timing and injury misfortune? Or was she quietly blacklisted for daring to challenge the league’s new golden girl?
In the end, perhaps the most heartbreaking part of this saga is how it overshadows everything DeShields has accomplished. From overcoming a life-threatening medical condition to reaching the pinnacle of her sport, her journey has been one of resilience and passion.
But in today’s WNBA, it seems that one moment — one hit — is all it takes to bring it all crashing down.
Chicago Sky’s Diamond DeShields responds to toxic fan after hard foul on Caitlin Clark
The Chicago Sky have committed more than their share of hard fouls on Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, and Diamond DeShields got in on the action Friday.
The seven-year WNBA veteran fouled Clark twice in the span of 40 seconds in the fourth quarter of the Fever’s 100-81 win, with the latter going viral on social media. As Clark ran with the ball in transition, DeShields barreled into the rookie and knocked her to the floor.
The play was ruled a flagrant 1 foul on DeShields, giving Clark two free throws. Clark made both to reach a career-high 31 points for the game and also record the first 30-point, 12-assist game in WNBA history.
The game further strengthened Clark’s argument for Rookie of the Year over the Sky’s Angel Reese, who set the WNBA’s rookie record for most double-doubles in a season in the same game.
CaitlinClark
G – IND
AngelReese
F – CHI
rookie of the year watch
19.2
Pts
13.6
5.7
Reb
13.1
8.4
Ast
1.9
5.6
TO
2.2
41.7
FG%
39.1
Unfortunately, the backlash against DeShields for the foul reached toxic levels with at least one fan. After the game, DeShields posted a screengrab showing an account repeatedly lamenting “that tumor should’ve took her out.” DeShields was diagnosed with a grape-sized benign tumor on her spinal cord in 2020, risked paralysis when she had it surgically removed and suffered painful tremors while recovering from the procedure.
In response to the fan, DeShields wrote, “Thank you God for covering me , I pray u cover those who wish harm unto me as well.”
Screengrab of Diamond DeShields’ Instagram story. (Instagram)
(Instagram)
Unsurprisingly, that person wasn’t the only person in DeShields’ comments after the game.
Obviously, this isn’t the first time the Sky have had a game against Clark get ugly. Chennedy Carter was the center of a firestorm earlier this season after hitting Clark with a shoulder check. Like the DeShields incident, that also saw a significant blowback, including an incident when Sky players reported harassment outside a team hotel. A subsequent video showed that person attempting to ask Carter questions, but one Sky player said it was edited to remove him saying much more profane things.
There was also a hard foul by Reese on Clark in another game. Clark’s rookie season has seen unprecedented attention in the WNBA, but not all of it has been good, especially when the Sky have been involved.
Friday was the last regular-season matchup between the teams, though. The Fever went 3-1 in the season series.
