Paige Bueckers Gets Honest About WNBA Officiating After Caitlin Clark...

Paige Bueckers said she's learning to navigate the officiating changes in the WNBA, and doesn't want to give away any more of her hard-earned money to the league for technical fouls. "Officiating is an extremely hard job. I would not want to be a ref. It's hard to officiate when last year it got pretty physical at times, it was like WWE SmackDown sometimes, so they try to obviously set the tone at the beginning of the season that they wanted to clean it up and make it a safer, cleaner game," she said on ESPN's "SportsCenter." "And it's tough. I mean, we're just competitors. We want to win, we show passion, we show fight, and sometimes it might get a little overboard, and it's on the refs to decipher that, and it's hard to read," Bueckers said. "But what I've learned is clapping is a non-negotiable, so I'm gonna try to stay away from clapping, no promises, but I don't want to keep losing money." Bueckers' remarks about the officiating arrived soon after fellow WNBA All-Star, Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, complained about receiving her fifth technical foul already this season. More news: Jay Williams Addresses ‘Awkward’ NBA Draft Interaction With ESPN Co-Star In Monday's 86-77 home victory against the Phoenix Mercury, referees called Clark for a foul on former Fever teammate DeWanna Bonner, then issued her a technical foul after she started to clap towards Mercury players. It was Clark's fifth technical for the season, meaning she'll receive a $1,000 fine and a warning letter. "We should all just go on the calendar now and pick a game that I’m gonna be suspended for if I’m gonna get technicals for clapping," a frustrated Clark said in a post-game media session. The fines won't really hurt Clark, but once a WNBA player reaches an eighth technical foul, that player receives a one-game suspension. Indiana is 10-7 at the early point of a 44-game WNBA season. According to Fox Sports, Clark is currently tied with Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese for the most technical fouls this season, and both face that potential league-mandated suspension with about two-thirds of the season remaining. A suspension could be a significant issue for Clark or Reese, due to their teams being among the top eight teams in the league right now. They'll likely be fighting for a postseason spot along with top contenders like the New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces, and Minnesota Lynx, as well as Bueckers' Dallas Wings. When it comes to the Wings, the player with the most techs called this season is their star Arike Ogunbowale, with two. Bueckers seems to be doing a good job of keeping her composure, even if she might not agree with every call on the court. More news: Shakira Sends Heartfelt Message to Lionel Messi After World Cup Record For more about the WNBA, head over to Newsweek Sports.