When Dave Portnoy speaks, people listen, or at least, they react. The founder of Barstool Sports recently turned his rhetorical claims on WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith after a rather heated game between the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm. His comments spanned over that one game, but they were not limited to it. He further expounded on how the WNBA handles its transition from established stars to rising talents like Caitlin Clark.

In a clip that showed Smith bumping into Clark and then Smith labeling it as “assault,” Portnoy pinned the blame on the 34-year-old. Not only this, the clip shared also showed Smith misty-eyed as both she and the Storm’s head coach Noelle Quinn, complained to the referee. According to Portnoy, this happened because of the defeat that Fever handed to Storm in a 92-75 matchup. He said, “How dare we let Caitlin embarrass me? How dare they beat us by 30?”

This wasn’t just about the game; it was a pointed critique of Diggins-Smith’s reaction to the loss. Portnoy implied that in the NBA, such behavior might have escalated into a physical confrontation, drawing a sharp line between the culture of the two leagues.

Portnoy’s comments also begged questions about how the WNBA was handling its budding stars, specifically Caitlin Clark. The 22-year-old sensation went to college at Iowa and took the league by storm. Well, according to Portnoy, it would appear that the league doesn’t know precisely how to handle this new breed of talent, especially in terms of integrating these young players with the older ones like Diggins-Smith.

Ever since Caitlin Clark stepped into the professional league, the rookie has been at the receiving end of quite some treatment. The critics are extra harsh on her, criticizing her every minute move. The players, on the other hand, have displayed great physicality towards her. Of course, we remember the matchups against Chicago Sky and the escalated physicality from Chennedy Carter and Reese that Clark had to bear.

For the most part, Clark has mostly endured such treatment without paying any heed to it but something contrasting happened in the Storm game. Something that Portnoy widely praises.

Dave Portnoy praises No. 1 WNBA Draft pick

In this matchup, Clark didn’t hold herself back from clapping back at Smith and her alleged tantrum. And what was even more incredible was to see the rookie get support from her teammates. Something that was noted to be amiss in their previous games as former players like Matt Barnes have pointed out that her teammates are not seen close to her when she is facing a tough time on the hardwood. He further said that it’s the job of her teammates to protect her.

Highlighting the same sentiment, Portnoy said, “Here’s what I love. You think Caitlin is gonna back down because they crying?…No, Caitlin doesn’t back down at all. She’s like ‘hey, zip it, Skylar. Shut up. Stop crying.’ She literally mouths ‘stop crying’. I am not sure if that is in this video. I fu**ing love it…This team is coming together and Caitlin Clark is loving it.”

It looks like the earlier concern of Clark is slowly fading away. Previously, Clark had been concerned about the chemistry prevailing in the Fever but it seems that the team-bonding exercises during the Olympics break have taken over and are slowly on their route to showcase greater progress. What do you think of this recent Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm matchup? Let us know in the comments.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.