As viral clips of Caitlin Clark being shoved, elbowed, and targeted flood social media, Stephen A. Smith delivers a take that no one saw coming—defending her impact while suggesting she’s not entirely innocent in the rising WNBA tension.

In a league desperate for attention, Caitlin Clark brought the spotlight. But now, as WNBA broadcasts rack up record views for all the wrong reasons—flagrant fouls, hard elbows, and heated postgame debates—the question isn’t whether the Iowa phenom is being targeted. It’s why.

And no one summed up that tension more controversially than ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

During a recent segment on First Take, Smith shocked co-hosts and viewers by walking a fine—and fiery—line. “Yes, there’s resentment toward Caitlin Clark,” he admitted. “But she instigates some of it.”

That one sentence set off a firestorm.

From Resentment to Justification?

Stephen A., often a defender of star athletes under fire, began by acknowledging what most fans have seen: “They’ve been kicking the crap out of this girl.” He cited the string of hard fouls and escalating aggression Clark has faced since entering the league.

But then came the pivot.

“She talks smack. She claps at people. She was waving people off in college,” Smith said. “And when Angel Reese got her turn, she told Caitlin, ‘It’s your turn now.’ And Caitlin accepted that.”

The implication? Clark isn’t just a victim of envy—she’s a contributor to the hostility. According to Smith, her fierce competitiveness and visible swagger have made her a magnet for both attention and retaliation.

Some fans applauded the honesty. Others called it a veiled justification for behavior that has gone beyond the bounds of sportsmanship.

Video Evidence Piles Up

Smith’s comments came on the heels of multiple viral clips showing Clark being hit in the face, elbowed on screens, and shoved during dead-ball situations. The most recent involved a poke to the eye from Marina Mabrey, drawing sharp rebuke from analysts and fans alike.

Yet even as those moments spread across TikTok and X, some voices—like Smith’s—began reframing the conversation: Is Clark simply getting a taste of her own medicine?

Co-hosts Clay Travis and Dave Rubin weren’t so sure. Rubin called out the league for failing to protect its biggest asset, comparing the moment to when Venus and Serena Williams entered tennis or Tiger Woods broke through in golf.

“They faced resentment, sure,” Rubin said, “but the leagues didn’t allow them to get physically punished for it.”

Identity, Economics, and Missed Opportunities

The conversation didn’t stay on the court for long.

Rubin argued that part of the backlash toward Clark might be rooted in identity politics: a white, straight, Midwestern athlete entering a league dominated culturally by very different voices. “I thought Stephen was going to say it outright,” Rubin admitted. “That she looks different, represents something different, and that might be part of the issue.”

Meanwhile, Travis shifted the conversation toward money and leadership. With the average WNBA salary hovering around $75,000, Travis argued the league is failing to capitalize on its moment. “They don’t even have a shoe for her yet,” he said. “That’s a failure of leadership.”

He warned that if Clark were to suffer a serious injury—like an ACL tear—the WNBA might not get another chance at mainstream relevance. “You’ve got to make the money while you can,” Travis said. “This is the golden goose moment, and they’re letting it rot.”

A League at a Crossroads

Clark’s rise has undeniably lifted the WNBA’s visibility. Ratings are up. Ticket sales are surging. Merchandise is flying. But instead of celebrating her, the league seems caught in a strange purgatory—reluctant to defend her, hesitant to embrace her fully, and unable to control the brewing storm.

Stephen A. Smith, never shy about controversy, may have said out loud what many around the league whisper behind closed doors: Clark changed the game—and with that comes resentment, responsibility, and risk.

But whether she “deserves” the bruises is a different debate altogether.

Final Word

In a league that’s finally getting the attention it longed for, Caitlin Clark is both its lightning rod and lifeline. And as Stephen A.’s words echo across the sports world, one question hangs in the air:

Are we witnessing the rise of a legend—or the slow self-destruction of a league that doesn’t know what to do with one?