Dave Portnoy lashes out at Stephen A Smith with savage dig over controversial Caitlin Clark brawl take

Barstool Sports chief Dave Portnoy took a brutal shot at Stephen A. Smith over the sports media personality's controversial take on Caitlin Clark.
Clark and the WNBA were once again thrust into the spotlight Tuesday night when the Indiana Fever superstar found herself at the center of a number of on-court skirmishes.
In a tense clash against the Sun, Clark was jabbed in the eye by Connecticut's Jacy Sheldon, who had previously been caught in a heated exchange with the Fever guard, before being slammed to the floor by Marina Mabrey in a violent moment which sparked outrage online.
However, Smith suggested Clark wasn't entirely innocent in the shocking on-court outburst, which is just the latest in a number directed at the Iowa product.
'Clearly, when it comes to Caitlin Clark, there's some resentment, as I've articulated before. What people are missing, Monica, is that I have no problem with it whatsoever,' Smith told Monica McNutt during Wednesday's episode of 'First Take'.
'Yes, there's resentment... this is much ado about nothing! In the heat of competition, tempers flare! Last time I checked, women got tempers just like men do. It ain't a problem! It ain't a problem at all! It ain't no big deal at all! I love it, personally.'
I'll take things that never happened but ESPN always pretends did for 100 Alex. Less solitaire. More facts @1stephenasmith. https://t.co/hQx8lcurgZ — Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) June 18, 2025
Dave Portnoy (R) called out Stephen A. Smith (L) for his take on the Caitlin Clark brawl
The Indiana Fever star was poked in the eye before being shoved to the ground by her rivals
'Caitlin Clark being that golden goose, that rising tide that's lifting all boats, I stand by my past proclamations that there's resentment towards her because of that. But I want to take it a step further: There's also resentment towards her because she instigates resentment towards her sometimes.'
But a furious Portnoy, who had expressed his outrage at Mabry Tuesday night, took issue with Smith's version of events as he used a 'Jeopardy!' reference to shut down the ESPN analyst.
'I'll take things that never happened but ESPN always pretends did for 100 Alex. Less solitaire. More facts @1stephenasmith,' Portnoy wrote on X in response to a clip of Smith's take.
The American businessman further rubbed salt in the wound by taking a dig at Smith's courtside game of solitaire.
Smith, who earlier this year signed a $100million ESPN contract, was caught playing the card game on his phone during the NBA Finals, where he was working for the network last week.
Clark had been prodded in the eye by Sheldon during the second quarter of the Fever's 88-71 win. When the Indiana superstar reacted angrily to being struck by Sheldon, the latter's teammate, Mabrey, raced over and slammed her to the floor in a violent moment which sparked outrage online.
Somehow she avoided an ejection from the game despite the shove being unprovoked, much to the dismay of WNBA fans - including Portnoy.
The Barstool founder called for 'jealous loser' Mabrey to be kicked out of the league over her attack on Clark.
Clark slammed onto the court after the violent nudge by Marina Mabrey
Portnoy has called for Connecticut Sun star Mabrey to be banned from the WNBA
'Marina Mabrey is a jealous loser punk,' Portnoy wrote on X Tuesday night. 'Asks to be traded on every single team she's on until she's on worst team in the league and completely irrelevant unless she's cheap shorting Caitlin. Go play in rec league where nobody gives a s*** about you.'
'Imagine not kicking Marina Mabrey out after she assaults the face of the league? Just a common tech? Sick league @WNBA Also shouldn't have been a tech on Caitlin since that girl got in her face after gouging her eyes.'
The Barstool founder's outrage didn't end there, as he later posted a long rant, further coming to Clark's aid.
Portnoy called out the league's commissioner, Cathy Engelbert, WNBA referees, and some of the franchise owners for letting the league get to a place where players putting their hands on Clark as much as they have has become the norm.
Partway through his lengthy rant, Portnoy once again turned his focus to the Sun player, adding: 'Then bang, Marina Mabrey... who if you don't know who that is, she's been on 32 different teams in two years, she cries, whines, leaves one team, goes to another, demands a trade... she's an irrelevant journeyman. She runs up to Caitlin after the whistle and f***ing slams into her and knocks her down. An obvious ejection!
'Marina Mabrey look in the mirror. The reason that you have any money before the end of your career is number two two. Nobody even cared who you were until she got into the league. So cheap shot her like that, what are you? Dumb?
'More importantly, the league, the refs, you're going to let people take cheap shots like that over and over and over at the face of your league? The future of your league? The most important player in your league? How do you not eject her?'
The WNBA came out Wednesday and admitted that Mabrey should have faced harsher punishment for her part in the on-court skirmish.
Mabrey's technical has been upgraded to a flagrant 2, which would have brought about an ejection had it been dished out on the night.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Guardian

35 minutes ago

• The Guardian

Harry Kane looking forward to facing Boca and their fearsome fans at Club World Cup

Harry Kane had an early taste of the great American outdoors ahead of next summer's World Cup as Bayern Munich's plane to Miami was delayed by Florida thunder storms ahead of Friday's game against Boca Juniors at the Hard Rock Stadium. On arrival Kane was still his familiar mild and temperate self in response to repeated questions, mainly from the Argentinian press, about the volatility of the reception he can expect from Boca's fans, who have been the most vivid spectacle of the Club World Cup so far. 'The Boca fans are obviously loud and they're passionate. A big part of their game is to have the fans behind them, to use them as the energy and to take them into tackles and to battle. 'Their fans are going to be passionate. They're going to be trying to push their team to win the game. So, yeah, I'm looking forward to the atmosphere. You know, sometimes it brings out the best in you as a player.' Kane is also prepared for the physical battle the Boca defenders will offer. Boca's tournament opener against Benfica was marked by concussive challenges, three red cards and a distinctive style of heavy-contact defending, 'It's going to be heated, it's going to be hot, it's going to be a physical game. And they have some quality players as well, so we need to be ready for that. We have to be ready for the battle tomorrow. 'They're a team who like to like to battle, like to make it difficult, like to counter press the opponent. We need to be ready for that. 'To be honest, I've not played against many South American teams in my career so far. So I think any game, any new team you play, is another experience. It's hard to really say how the game is going to go tomorrow, but like I said, I know they'll be very passionate, very hungry to get the result. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 'There's a lot of top quality teams all around the world. It's not just Europe where football is played and you see that at national level as well. So it doesn't surprise me that some of the teams who are maybe not looked upon as some of the favourites, are doing well in this tournament. I don't think any anyone needs to be taken lightly.'

Daily Mail​

38 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Stephen A. Smith's daughter makes rare TV appearance for awkward ESPN interview before NBA Finals

While basketball fans are used to seeing Stephen A. Smith on their television screens, they were treated to a rare glimpse of another member of the Smith clan Thursday night. The analyst was performing his ESPN duties alongside Elle Duncan on the floor of Gainbridge Fieldhouse when Game 6 of the NBA Finals turned into 'Bring your daughter to work' day. Smith's daughter, Samantha A. Smith, made a surprise appearance on the broadcast when Duncan called her over from the sidelines. But Smith didn't appear to be a fan of the idea as he remained tense throughout his daughter's stint in front of the camera. 'Say hi,' he told Samantha, who gladly accepted the invitation and ran with it as she greeted viewers and then some. 'Hi guys, I'm Samantha,' the 17-year-old said. When her dad briefly pulled the microphone away, Samantha said, 'I'm talking here.' Stephen A. Smith brought his daughter to work for Game 6 of Thunder - Pacers… BUT WHEN LEBRON DO IT 😂😂 — Hater Report (@HaterReport_) June 19, 2025 Much to his dismay, Stephen A Smith's daughter made a shock appearance on ESPN 'I'm Stephen's daughter,' she continued. 'I'm so happy to be here, I've made so many friends. This is really…' 'You just got here five minutes ago,' her father interjected. But Samantha, undeterred, ploughed on, adding: 'This is a really great experience. This is a really great experience and I feel really grateful to be here, you guys.' Samantha appears to have inherited her father's fearlessness in front of the camera as she refused to hold her tongue when asked for her opinions. She was invited back on the ESPN broadcast as NBA Countdown host Malika Andrews welcomed her to the panel to give her pick between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. 'I'm going OKC,' Samantha revealed, going against her dad and his pick of the Indiana Pacers. 'I think they're just going to end it tonight,' she continued as Smith looked exasperated next to her. 'I think Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) has been killing it all season and he won MVP for a reason. So I think we're just going to finish it out now.' His NBA Countdown colleagues ribbed Smith, claiming that they 'much preferred' her pick over her dad's and that she made it a much better show. 'You're going against your daddy on live television?' a disgruntled Smith questioned, to which Samantha merely shrugged adding, 'I think he knows I'm right.' Stephen A. Smith's face while his daughter gives her picks. 💀 — TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 20, 2025 'She usually beats me on predictions,' he later begrudgingly admitted. Smith didn't reveal that he was a father until 2019 when he Samantha and her sister Nyla were already 11 and 10. The mother has been kept anonymous. 'My daughters are everything to me,' Smith said during an appearance on The Breakfast Club in 2023. 'I make sure that they are taken care of first. [My mom] was proud of the father I am and I'm very happy and proud of the father I am.' Samantha is no stranger to the spotlight with Smith's mini-me pursuing an acting career. The budding actress has starred in Peacock's The Best Man: The Final Chapters in 2022 and Disney+'s 2023 series Saturdays.

Daily Mail​

44 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Brooks Koepka's stunning wife Jena Sims bares all in risque outfit

Jena Sims, the wife of American golf star Brooks Koepka, left little to the imagination with her outfit of choice in a new Instagram post. Sims - a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model - posted a series of photos and videos covering her busy antics in recent weeks. One of them showed her and Koepka dressed for and ready to go to what appears to be a pool party and her outfit of choice was particularly risque. Sims wore a sheer blue cropped top with a red trim and red shorts. But she barely maintained her modesty with a pair of decorative rings stamped across her breasts. The 36-year-old has been married to Koepka since 2022, the same year that the five-time major champion defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit. The couple, who were part of the Netflix golf docuseries 'Full Swing', share son Crew, who was born in July 2023. The Sports Illustrated model did a playful dance with Koepka for the social media post They are one of the more glamorous couples in golf and Sims regularly posts bikini-clad photos and updates from their exotic lifestyle. Koepka finished tied for 12th at last week's US Open, having missed the cut at both the Masters and PGA Championship earlier in the season. He owns five major titles, but hasn't finished in the top 10 of one since winning the PGA Championship in 2023 at Oak Hill. His last LIV Golf victory was August of last year. At the US Open, Koepka revealed his coach, Pete Cowan, had recently given him a dressing down in a bunker. '(Justin Thomas) thought he had to come check on me in the bunker. We were in there for about 45 minutes, and he was on the other side of the green,' Koepka said. 'I wasn´t happy with it, but it was something I think you need to hear or I needed to hear at the right time. It´s not the first time he´s done it.'