Some Vitriol Toward Caitlin Clark Is 'self-induced,' Espn's Stephen A Smith Says

ESPN prima Stephen A. Smith suggested connected Wednesday that Indiana Fever prima Caitlin Clark was responsible for immoderate of nan resentment toward her successful nan WNBA.

Smith and "First Take" panelists Monica McNutt and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo collapsed down nan skirmishes betwixt Fever and Connecticut Sun players. Clark was connected nan receiving extremity of an oculus flick from Sun defender Jacy Sheldon and was past bumped to nan level by Marina Mabrey.

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Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, celebrates aft scoring a 3-pointer during a crippled betwixt nan Indiana Fever and nan New York Liberty astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis connected June 14, 2025. (Grace Smith-Imagn Images)

Clark and Sun players were talking trash passim nan crippled arsenic tensions began to emergence early and yet boil over. Fever defender Sophie Cunningham besides sewage into nan fray pinch a difficult foul connected Sheldon precocious successful nan game. Both players were ejected.

Smith reiterated his stance that he believed location was "resentment" toward Clark but said he had nary problem pinch nan frenzy that took spot astatine nan Gainbridge Fieldhouse, noting nan highly competitory quality of each nan athletes connected nan court.

"Now, here’s nan point about, because I want to make judge everyone understands what I’m astir to say," Smith began. "Caitlin Clark being that ‘golden goose’ per se, that ‘rising tide that’s lifting each boats,’ I guidelines by my past proclamations that there’s resentment toward her because of that. But I want to return it a measurement further. There’s besides resentment toward her because she instigates resentment toward her sometimes. Oh, Caitlin tin clap astatine ya now, Caitlin tin antagonize ya now.

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, dribbles nan shot while Connecticut Sun defender Jacy Sheldon, #4, defends successful nan first half astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis connected June 17, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, looks connected during nan 2nd half against nan Connecticut Sun astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis connected June 17, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

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"Remember, successful college, nan full Angel Reese point started because erstwhile Caitlin was giving it to everybody else, she was nan 1 waving successful their look and that’s why erstwhile Angel Reese and LSU sewage a full of her, Angel Reese was for illustration (waves manus successful beforehand of face), ‘Yeah, it’s your turn.’ That’s wherever it came from. It was instigated by Caitlin Clark. She sewage a comeuppance and she was large capable to clasp it and judge it and say, ‘Yo, I merit it, it was my move because they sewage maine good."

Smith pointed retired that Clark does her adjacent stock of trash talking and tin crockery it retired arsenic good arsenic anyone.

He past compared her to Boston Celtics fable Larry Bird.

"On apical of nan truth that she could play … but she’s kinda for illustration what Larry Bird was erstwhile Larry Bird was shooting nan lights retired and worldly for illustration that but Larry Bird besides talked junk," he said. "Dr. J was 1 of nan nicest, sweetest group connected nan planet. People were saying he was making location calls, helping induce nan NBA into America’s surviving room, and Dr. J swung connected Larry Bird. Why? Because Larry Bird says, ‘I’m gonna deed this jumper correct present connected you,’ Bam! ‘I’m gonna deed this 3 correct present connected you,’ Bam! … Caitlin Clark is that personification arsenic well. The vitriol that she gets, immoderate of it is self-induced, I conscionable hap to emotion it because that’s sports."

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, celebrates aft a three-point handbasket against nan Connecticut Sun successful nan 2nd half of a WNBA hoops crippled successful Indianapolis connected Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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The WNBA gave an further good to Cunningham for her engagement successful nan fracas aft nan Sheldon foul. She received a modular good automatically for nan Flagrant-2 foul. Mabrey’s method foul was upgraded to a Flagrant-2 foul, and she received a modular good for that. 

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