Portnoy wonders if Geno Auriemma’s Caitlin Clark | Sports News

Dave Portnoy discarded legendary ladies’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma’s credibility for his pre-WNBA feedback about Caitlin Clark. The Barstool Sports frontman questioned whether or not the UConn coach delivered the worst sports activities take ever prematurely.

Portnoy posted a mashup video on X Sunday morning that paired Auriemma’s rant with Clark’s return sport in opposition to the New York Liberty. She exploded for 32 factors, 9 assists, and eight rebounds in a 102-88 Fever win that avenged their earlier time beyond regulation loss to the identical group.

“Did Geno Auriemma have the worst take in sports history?” Portnoy captioned the video. Auriemma’s unique assertion characterised those that thought-about Clark an fast WNBA famous person on the skilled stage as “delusional.”

“The delusional fan base that follows her disrespected the WNBA players by saying she will go into that league and tear it apart. These people are so disrespectful and so unknowledgeable and so stupid that it gives women’s basketball a bad name,” he mentioned. “This kid’s on the wrong team. She’s got the wrong skill set to handle the physicality of that league… She’s just not built for the physicality of this league.”

That “kid” in Clark delivered one of probably the most dominant rookie campaigns the WNBA has ever seen and completed her first season because the Rookie of the Year. She recorded probably the most factors and assists by a rookie in WNBA historical past, turned the primary to notch a number of triple-doubles, and led the Fever to a 20-20 report and their first playoff look since 2016.

Even Diana Taurasi, who initially predicted a “reality check” for Clark earlier than the season began, publicly withdrew her stance. “Unfortunately, reality is coming to me now,” Taurasi admitted after Clark’s run started breaking information.

Clark missed 5 video games with a quad harm earlier than her long-awaited return and had one of her best performances of the season. Her 32 factors had been a season-high, and Clark made seven 3-pointers on 50 p.c taking pictures from past, nearing a single-game report set by Rhyne Howard on June 13.

Portnoy’s protection of Clark’s profession has raised concern from elements of the WNBA group, who imagine he is narrowing the highlight on her in a approach that neglects the remaining of the league. Some accuse him of pushing an agenda that elevates Clark as the only purpose for the league’s large acceleration in reputation.

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The pushback strengthened after Portnoy blasted the WNBA’s investigation into alleged racist feedback made by followers during a sport between Clark and Angel Reese. He informed the Fever that it was “okay to have a spine,” dismissed the claims, and known as the investigation “bull —-.”

“The ‘investigation’ was bull—-. Both you and the WNBA gave credibly to a very obvious troll. ESPN ran with it,” he wrote. Caitlin Clark needed to defend her followers for no purpose. You made one thing outta nothing. Fever followers deserve higher.”