Some vitriol toward Caitlin Clark is 'self-induced,' ESPN's Stephen A Smith says

ESPN prima Stephen A. Smith suggested connected Wednesday that Indiana Fever prima Caitlin Clark was liable for immoderate of the resentment toward her successful the WNBA.

Smith and "First Take" panelists Monica McNutt and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo broke down the skirmishes betwixt Fever and Connecticut Sun players. Clark was connected the receiving extremity of an oculus poke from Sun defender Jacy Sheldon and was past bumped to the level by Marina Mabrey.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, celebrates aft scoring a 3-pointer during a crippled betwixt the Indiana Fever and the New York Liberty astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis connected June 14, 2025. (Grace Smith-Imagn Images)

Clark and Sun players were talking trash passim the crippled arsenic tensions began to emergence aboriginal and yet boil over. Fever defender Sophie Cunningham besides got into the fray with a hard foul connected Sheldon precocious successful the game. Both players were ejected.

Smith reiterated his stance that helium believed determination was "resentment" toward Clark but said helium had nary occupation with the frenzy that took spot astatine the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, noting the highly competitory quality of each the athletes connected the court.

"Now, here’s the happening about, due to the fact that I privation to marque definite everyone understands what I’m astir to say," Smith began. "Caitlin Clark being that ‘golden goose’ per se, that ‘rising tide that’s lifting each boats,’ I basal by my past proclamations that there’s resentment toward her due to the fact that of that. But I privation to instrumentality it a measurement further. There’s besides resentment toward her due to the fact that she instigates resentment toward her sometimes. Oh, Caitlin tin clap astatine ya now, Caitlin tin antagonize ya now.

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, dribbles the shot portion Connecticut Sun defender Jacy Sheldon, #4, defends successful the archetypal fractional astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis connected June 17, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, looks connected during the 2nd fractional against the Connecticut Sun astatine Gainbridge Fieldhouse successful Indianapolis connected June 17, 2025. (Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images)

SPARKS FACE BACKLASH AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA USERS ACCUSE WNBA TEAM OF POSTING ‘THIRST TRAPS’ 

"Remember, successful college, the full Angel Reese happening started due to the fact that erstwhile Caitlin was giving it to everybody else, she was the 1 waving successful their look and that’s wherefore erstwhile Angel Reese and LSU got a full of her, Angel Reese was similar (waves manus successful beforehand of face), ‘Yeah, it’s your turn.’ That’s wherever it came from. It was instigated by Caitlin Clark. She got a comeuppance and she was large capable to clasp it and judge it and say, ‘Yo, I merit it, it was my crook due to the fact that they got maine good."

Smith pointed retired that Clark does her just stock of trash talking and tin crockery it retired arsenic good arsenic anyone.

He past compared her to Boston Celtics fable Larry Bird.

"On apical of the information that she could play … but she’s kinda similar what Larry Bird was erstwhile Larry Bird was shooting the lights retired and worldly similar that but Larry Bird besides talked junk," helium said. "Dr. J was 1 of the nicest, sweetest radical connected the planet. People were saying helium was making location calls, helping invitation the NBA into America’s surviving room, and Dr. J swung connected Larry Bird. Why? Because Larry Bird says, ‘I’m gonna deed this jumper close present connected you,’ Bam! ‘I’m gonna deed this 3 close present connected you,’ Bam! … Caitlin Clark is that idiosyncratic arsenic well. The vitriol that she gets, immoderate of it is self-induced, I conscionable hap to emotion it due to the fact that that’s sports."

Indiana Fever defender Caitlin Clark, #22, celebrates aft a three-point handbasket against the Connecticut Sun successful the 2nd fractional of a WNBA hoops crippled successful Indianapolis connected Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The WNBA gave an further good to Cunningham for her engagement successful the fracas aft the Sheldon foul. She received a modular good automatically for the Flagrant-2 foul. Mabrey’s method foul was upgraded to a Flagrant-2 foul, and she received a modular good for that. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.