The WNBA has announced several significant updates ahead of the 2025 season, including a change directly affecting Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark by increasing the technical foul limit before suspension. This adjustment benefits Clark by allowing her more flexibility during the season, aligning with broader league expansions and playoff format changes.
Expanded Season and Team Growth Shape 2025 WNBA Changes
For the upcoming 2025 season, the WNBA will extend the regular season from 40 to 44 games and welcome the Golden State Valkyries as the 13th franchise. Additionally, the WNBA Finals format will shift from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven series, marking a notable enhancement in the championship structure. The first-round playoff series will also feature a new 1-1-1 home-and-away game format, replacing the previous 2-1 design.
Technical Foul Suspension Threshold Increased from Seven to Eight
One of the most discussed developments involves raising the technical foul threshold required to trigger a one-game suspension. As first highlighted by Her Hoops Stats analyst Richard Cohen and later confirmed by Indy Star’s Chloe Peterson, the WNBA now suspends players after eight technical fouls instead of seven. This means suspensions occur at technical fouls eight, ten, twelve, and so forth, rather than seven, nine, eleven, etc.
Cohen explained this change on May 28:
For anyone who missed last week’s podcast: Minor rule-change I noticed preparing for it was that they’ve raised the Taurasi Line for a suspension to 8 technical fouls in the regular season. So now a 1-game suspension for techs 8, 10, 12, 14 etc. (rather than 7, 9, 11 etc.)
—Richard Cohen, Her Hoops Stats analyst
Implications for Caitlin Clark’s Season Conduct
Clark nearly reached the previous technical foul suspension limit last season, receiving her seventh technical foul close to triggering a one-game suspension. Phoenix Mercury’s Diana Taurasi—now retired—along with Natasha Cloud and Dallas Wings’ Teaira McCowan, faced suspensions last year after hitting seven technical fouls. Taurasi also had a history of reaching this limit in earlier seasons, including years 2013, 2016, and 2018.
Though Clark received a technical foul in the 2025 preseason, such fouls do not count toward the regular-season total. When discussing her 2025 goals on The Bird & Taurasi Show’s alt-cast in April, Clark aimed to accumulate no more than two technical fouls, a target many fans found optimistic given her competitive play. With the updated limit, she now has increased room to manage her on-court conduct before suspension risks.
Fan Reactions Highlight Clark’s Updated Suspension Margin
Fans and commentators quickly noticed the impact of the technical foul rule adjustment on Clark. One X user remarked,
Caitlin’s de-escalation committee is breathing a little easier right now.
—Anonymous fan on social media
Another fan joked about the new threshold by calling it,
The Caitlin Clark new Line. WNBA rule change.
—Anonymous fan on social media
While Clark is sidelined due to a quad injury, fans remain playful about her competitive edge, with one urging,
go ahead, coach clark. get that bench tech today lol.
—Anonymous fan on social media
Another fan commented,
caitlin somewhere cheesing.
Detection of the Rule Change and League Transparency
Her Hoops Stats’ Richard Cohen described how he discovered the rule change by reviewing updated league data tracking technical fouls and suspensions. The WNBA, like the NBA, provides regular updates on players’ technical foul counts and related suspension policies. Cohen observed significant modifications in the league’s documents, indicating that this was an intentional change rather than a typographical error.
At the bottom of that, they have details of when the suspensions kick in and how much each one costs… and I noticed they changed the details on the bottom of the page and given how much of the writing they’ve changed, it doesn’t look like it’s a typo for once, which it often is when this league changes something.
—Richard Cohen, Her Hoops Stats analyst
This transparency allows fans, players, and analysts to keep up with evolving rules and their real-time impact throughout the season.
How the New Technical Foul Rule Affects the League’s Competitive Landscape
By raising the suspension threshold for technical fouls, the WNBA gives players like Caitlin Clark more latitude to express their competitive energy without facing immediate penalties. This rule change could alter how aggression and discipline balance on the court, potentially reducing the frequency of suspensions and keeping top players active longer during critical games.
For Indiana Fever, this adjustment provides Clark with enhanced freedom to maintain her aggressive style while limiting the risk of missing important games due to suspension. As a rising star and key figure in the league’s growth, Clark’s ability to stay on the court is crucial for the Fever’s competitiveness in an expanding WNBA landscape.
Looking ahead, these rule modifications—alongside the increase in regular season games, playoff changes, and new franchise introductions—signal the WNBA’s commitment to enhancing the quality and excitement of women’s professional basketball.