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There's still a lot of debate and dissenting opinions within the sports media sphere about Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark getting shoved to the ground by Connecticut Sun standout Marina Mabrey during the third quarter of their June 17 game against each other.
The heated moment occurred after Clark and Sun guard Jacy Sheldon were jawing at each other after Sheldon poked Clark in the eye while playing defense. This caused both teams to come together, and Mabrey shoved Clark seemingly out of nowhere, which led to her, Clark, and Sun veteran Tina Charles all receiving technical fouls.
While sports media juggernaut Stephen A. Smith often comes to Clark's defense during moments like these, he switched his sentiment up somewhat during a June 18 episode of ESPN First Take.
"Clearly, when it comes to Caitlin Clark, there's some resentment, as I've articulated before. What people are missing, Monica, is that I have no problem with it whatsoever," Smith said, per an X post from ClutchPoints. "Yes, there's resentment... this is much ado about nothing! In the heat of competition, tempers flare! Last time I checked, women got tempers just like men do. It ain't a problem! It ain't a problem at all! It ain't no big deal at all! I love it, personally."
He later added, "Caitlin Clark being that golden goose, that rising tide that's lifting all boats, I stand by my past proclamations that there's resentment towards her because of that. But I want to take it a step further: There's also resentment towards her because she instigates resentment towards her sometimes."
Smith then added that Clark is often the one talking smack to opposing players, which is what he meant by instigating resentment.
"There's also resentment towards her because she instigates resentment towards her... The whole Angel Reese thing with her started because when Caitlin [Clark] was giving it to everybody else, she was the one waving her in their face."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 18, 2025
—Stephen A. Smithpic.twitter.com/ufQ3gike3j
Time will tell whether fans agree with Smiths' sentiment.
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