Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter’s shove of Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark on Saturday was met with strong criticism from fans and the media. However, former Golden State Warriors forward Stephen Jackson argued that the hard foul was all part of the competitive aspect of basketball. He looked back on a similar incident that he had with LeBron James, who was a rookie at the time.

During Indiana’s 71-70 win, the hard foul occurred near the final seconds of the third quarter. After Carter converted on a baseline jumper, she proceeded to make a statement by shoving Clark during the ensuing inbounds play.

“When LeBron came into the league, I love LeBron … but when he tried to dunk on me when he was a rookie, I slammed him to the ground,” Jackson said on the “All the Smoke” podcast. “But that’s just a part of the game, I wasn’t trying to hurt him.

“It was just, “You not going to embarrass me, you come into the league.’ … If you’ve never been in the game, you wouldn’t understand.”

From Jackson’s perspective, it wasn’t anything personal when he committed a hard foul on LeBron James during the four-time champion’s rookie year. He argued that the narrative surrounding two promising WNBA rookies should not be focused on any possible animosity between them.

As the league continues to rise in popularity and recognition, the former Warriors forward argued that the competitive spirit of the sport should be left intact.

Chennedy Carter addressed her incident with Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark

Following Chennedy Carter’s incident with Caitlin Clark, the Sky guard remained unfazed through all of the criticism she has received, according to CBS Chicago’s Jori Parys.

“I’m going to compete and play 100% hard no matter who it is or who we’re playing,” Carter said. “We’ve been able to take a lot of hits in the last 24, 48 hours. I’m over here smiling. I’m not complaining. … At the end of the day, it’s all love outside of basketball. When we’re in those four lines, it’s smoke. After, it’s all love.”