Every time you switch on your TV to watch the WNBA, Caitlin Clark breaks another record. While that might be a bit of an exaggeration, that’s how dominant her rookie season has been. Just last night, she surpassed Tamika Catchings’ 594-point mark to become the Fever’s all-time rookie scoring leader. The shot that got the job done? Surprise, Surprise! A long-range three-pointer. Impressed by the rookie’s dominance, veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith bestowed her with a huge honor while retaliating to WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes in an argument involving the young gun.

In August, the analyst called Swoopes out for not mentioning Caitlin Clark on her podcast while giving props to the Indiana Fever for their successful season. As expected, the legend clapped back, claiming that Stephen A. made assumptions without watching the entire episode, even calling him a coward! However, the analyst stood by his words in the latest episode and said, “Yes, I did listen to your entire podcast. You didn’t mention Caitlin Clark, so I was right.”

Then, he responded to Swoopes’ “coward” remark, “It was pretty damn immature to come back at me like that. Called me an effing coward because I called you out for not doing your job?” Apart from letting his frustration out on the legend, Smith also had high praise for Clark and made a not-so-surprising comparison, “We got the Baby-Faced Assassin in men’s basketball with Steph Curry!”

“They might say that about her before all is said and done because she pulls up from the parking lot as well,” the vet analyst concluded on The Stephen A. Smith Show. Just like Steph did with the NBA, Clark seems well on her way to revolutionizing the WNBA with her insane shooting ability. In just 33 games, she is only two three-pointers shy of reaching the one-hundred mark. And she has done it with a solid efficiency of 34.1%, which will only get better as she adjusts to the pro league.

Stephen A. Smith acknowledges the Caitlin Clark effect, deems ROTY race “OVER”

Ever since draft night, all eyes have been on the on-court rivalry of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. With their competitive history since college, many have even deemed it the women’s version of the iconic Bird and Magic rivalry. And they have not disappointed so far as the duo has been the frontrunners for the ROTY trophy most of the season. However, Stephen A. believes that there is a clear winner between the two, “Rookie of The Year race is over. She (Clark) ended that Friday night when she dropped 31 on the Chicago Sky.”

Yes, dropping a huge double-double against Reese’s team and blowing them out, Clark might have gained an edge in the race for the trophy. Moreover, the Caitlin Clark effect can even be seen through the numbers. With a win against the Wings last night, she helped the Fever cross the .500 record for the first time in 189 games. On top of that, Fever leads the league in average attendance with 15,746, all thanks to Clark. Meanwhile, the average attendance for the rest of the league when she is not playing is only 8,490.

As per the franchise’s report in August, more than 186,000 fans have attended home games in 2024, a 265% jump from last season, alongside a growth of more than 1000% in net sales at the Team Store.

Be it with the attention she has brought to the WNBA or her amazing talent, Clark has proven to be a generational talent. And it is understandable why Stephen A. was livid with Swoopes for not showering Clark with the praise that she deserves. Do you agree?

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger