NaLyssa Smith caused quite a stir after the Indiana Fever were eliminated from the playoffs. The 24-year-old removed the Fever from her social media bio after the defeat to Connecticut Sun. This led to wide speculation about her future with the franchise as she remains under contract till 2025 but will be a free agent at the end of this season. But as that story is shaping up, Smith’s actions involving Clark have come under the scanner.

Caitlin Clark made quite the headlines in her first WNBA season. Breaking rookie scoring records, driving the league to record viewership numbers, and helping her franchise to a first playoff appearance since 2016. But in between all this, there were some unsavory moments, particularly, the rough treatment of Clark by her opponents on the court. This was also seen in Game 1 of the series between the Fever and Sun.

During the first quarter of the game, Sun’s player DiJonai Carrington appeared to poke Clark in the eye, sending her crashing on the floor. It left Clark with a black eye as Fever lost the game 93-69. While many sympathized with her situation after the incident, Smith was caught laughing with Carrington, who happens to be her girlfriend, after she poked her in the eye. This didn’t sit well with Jason Whitlock.

Indiana Fever has been sharing photos of Smith highlighting her achievements on the court while also putting the spotlight on her fashion and style. However, this left Whitock baffled that instead of taking any action against the player they are lauding her and even shared why that might be the case.

While commenting on the video on his YouTube channel on Tuesday, veteran sports analyst Jason Whitlock remarked, “Old on man this woman (NaLyssa Smith) is booed up with the girl that poked Caitlin Clark and they’re making videos, making fun of Caitlin Clark and the eye poke.  What is the Indiana Fever doing? It’s not a mystery.”

He mentioned,

The video in question features NaLyssa Smith and her girlfriend, DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun, apparently taking a jibe at Caitlin Clark over the eye-poke incident from Game 1 of the playoffs. In the video, Carrington playfully reenacts the poke while Smith laughs, and the two joke about the situation. “Ow!” Carrington said before telling Smith, “You poked me in the eye,” and she later asked the Fever player, “did you do it on purpose?” This lighthearted moment quickly turned into a debacle for very obvious reasons.

Both Carrington and Clark responded that the poke was not intentional and clarified that the Connecticut guard was going for the ball, but Smith’s video has stirred the pot. The ESPN analyst had more to say about Smith’s conduct. He emphasized “No one would even know her name, NaLyssa Smith, if she played on any of the other 11 teams,” Whitlock claimed.

Smith’s antics could be tough for Clark to take, who has been at the receiving end of rough treatment on the court. But the former Iowa Hawkeyes star hasn’t spoken on the issue and neither have Fever commented. This incident comes to the spotlight at a time when Smith’s future with Fever is up in the air.

There are rumors that her three-season stint at the franchise could be coming to an end. While there are no concrete updates on her future, she did respond to an Indiana Fever video highlighting her season with the caption, “NaLyssa Smith averaged 10.6 PPG, 48.0 FG% and 7.1 RPG this season.” Smith reshared the video and wrote, “not too bad 4 a scrub.”

While Smith was drafted second overall pick in 2022 and has had a solid career, but Whitlock suggested that her notoriety is due to her association with Clark, who has become a household name in women’s basketball. Hence, if anything, the No. 1 on Indiana’s squad should be thankful for the first overall pick this year according to Whitlock.

NaLyssa Smith lacks gratitude toward Caitlin Clark, claims Jason Whitlock

There is no questioning that more than anyone ever, Caitlin Clark has brought more visibility to the entire league. In fact, many players have shown their appreciation for the point guard, from the legend Nancy Liberman to the current player Satou Sabally. But seemingly, Whitlock doesn’t see the same sentiment coming from the Baylor alum.

Whitlock further criticized Smith for showing no gratitude towards Clark, whom he described as the “meal ticket” for the WNBA and the Indiana Fever. “Instead of her expressing any gratitude towards going through that incredible experience with the Indiana Fever… all of this attention, she has no gratitude, she has no respect.”

He alleged that despite benefiting from the spotlight Clark brings to the league and to Indiana Fever as a team, Smith has engaged in behavior that undermines their professional relationship, and also publicly mocked her colleague in the video.

Both Jason Whitlock and his fellow Commentator Steve Kim took issue with the Indiana Fever’s decision to continue promoting Smith on X despite Nalyssa’s recent video. Whitlock also went to the lengths of pointing out recent tweets from the Fever celebrating Smith’s accomplishments, including a recent post that highlighted her achievements such as surpassing 1,000 career points and achieving a career-high in blocks.

This leads to questions: will Fever take any action against Smith and will Clark respond to the video? This tension brought by the media frenzy has for sure intensified the drama within the WNBA.