Dave Portnoy credits Caitlin Clark for WNBA | Sports News

Dave Portnoy made his ideas clear on the WNBA’s newest enlargement, making sure to thank Caitlin Clark for her half.

The Barstool boss has been a staunch supporter of the Indiana Fever star, lashing back at Stephen A. Smith for his feedback on Clark. Portnoy additionally slammed FOX Sports’ Joy Taylor after she claimed that Angel Reese receives more criticism from sure teams of people as a result of she is Black.

He additionally claimed WNBA legend DeWanna Bonner was “beyond useless” after the group waived the two-time champion. Now, with the league increasing to 18 by 2030, Portnoy made it clear who he believes is the explanation for the WNBA’s sudden enlargement within the coming years.

“Thank you CC!!” he posted on X. His three-word post comes after the league introduced that Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia are the following cities to obtain an enlargement group in 2028, 2029 and 2030, respectively.

As it stands, the WNBA already has 13 groups, with the Golden State Valkyries enjoying their first season this yr, sharing the identical area because the Golden State Warriors. In the 2026 season, the Toronto Tempo and a yet-to-be-named Portland group can even make their debuts.

It is obvious that girls’s basketball is growing all through the nation, as evidenced by the followers’ assist of the Valkyries of their inaugural season. Golden State has offered out all 10 video games it is performed at Chase Center this season, in accordance with the group’s X post.

One of the the explanation why the WNBA elected to proceed increasing in seemingly such a short quantity of time was to capitalize on the recognition Clark, Reese and different stars have dropped at the league. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert stated as a lot in a assertion launched saying the following wave of groups.

“The demand for women’s basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family,” her assertion started. “This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women’s professional basketball.

“I’m deeply grateful for our new house owners and possession teams — Dan Gilbert in Cleveland, Tom Gores in Detroit, and Josh Harris, David Blitzer, David Adelman, and Brian Roberts in Philadelphia — for their perception within the WNBA’s future and their dedication to building thriving groups that may energize and encourage their communities.

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“We are excited for what these cities will bring to the league – and are confident that these new teams will reshape the landscape of women’s basketball.”

It stays to be seen what the Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia groups can be named. However, it’s evident that the league has seen a huge increase in followers and fan engagement in simply the final three seasons.

In 2023, Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson was the league’s high vote-getter for the WNBA All-Star Game with 95,860 whole votes. The final two seasons have seen an unimaginable fan turnout, with Clark getting 700,735 and 1,293,526 votes in 2024 and 2025, respectively, exhibiting simply how a lot the league’s recognition has exploded in simply two years.