Shannon Sharpe has been steadfast in his support of Caitlin Clark. The First Take personality and host of Nightcap and Club Shay Shay has relentlessly praised and championed Clark as the biggest name in women’s basketball. He’s been incredibly vocal about her exclusion from the U.S. Women’s National Team, questioning the commitment to growing the game.
Shannon Sharpe on Caitlin Clark being left off of Team USA: “Are we really trying to grow the game? Because this is the most popular women’s basketball player in the world and it ain’t close… So are we really trying to grow the game? Is that what we’re really trying to do? Or… pic.twitter.com/XwSdruLuG9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 10, 2024
And while Sharpe has been uber critical about Clark’s perceived 2024 Paris Olympics snub, he’s also called out the WNBA for how the league has treated Clark, suggesting a similar narrative that his colleagues Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith pushed out about jealousy being a potential factor her.
On the most recent episode of his Nightcap podcast with Chad Johnson, Sharpe discussed the Indiana Fever star shattering the WNBA rookie assist record win over the Seattle Storm on Sunday, 92-75.
But the game wasn’t without drama. Tensions flared between the Fever and Storm coaching staffs late in the fourth quarter. With Indiana enjoying a comfortable 17-point lead, Seattle’s head coach, Noelle Quinn, took exception to Fever coach Christie Sides leaving her starters in the game. The two coaches exchanged heated words on the sidelines.
“I’m not sure that’s a pleasant conversation over there.”pic.twitter.com/YckrofK4rg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 18, 2024
There was also an instance of Skylar Diggins-Smith bumping into Clark during a timeout, which Sharpe thought was absolutely intentional. He mentioned that she had sped up to catch Clark, only to body-check her as she went to reach the sidelines during a timeout.
“This been going on, Ocho,” Sharpe told his co-host.
“If I’m Caitlin Clark, I would’ve told Skylar Diggins, ‘Get your coat, your brim, and get on out of our gym. Get your coat, your hat and leave!’…Y’all stop this foolishness,” continued Sharpe. “Y’all see the woman speed up. Y’all see her — Caitlin Clark is getting the crowd going. Y’all see Skylar Diggins speed up to make contact with her. Stop this!
“Y’all mad because that cornfed Iowa girl busting y’all a**. Y’all said, ‘She’s too weak. She can’t do this.’ She leads the WNBA in assists. She’s cooking — let her cook. Let her cook! Let that girl cook! She cuttin’ a**. She’s like a double-edged sword, Ocho, she cuttin’ a** left and right…Cut ’em up!”
Shannon Sharpe has had enough of the jealousy from the WNBA players and EXPLODES! MUST WATCH!! #wnba #feverrising @CaitlinClark22 pic.twitter.com/rH12HsBPfk
— Ken Swift (@kenswift) August 19, 2024
“It ain’t hype. Y’all keep talking sh*t about the ‘Great White hype,’ Ocho. They keep talking about — ain’t no hype,” added Sharpe. “Y’all said the same thing about Larry Bird. I remember, I’m old enough to remember. They said the same thing about Larry Bird. Ain’t nothing hype. Ain’t nothing hype about Luka (Dončić). Ain’t nothing hype about (Nikola) Jokić. I get it; we’re not used to seeing (this)… she’s saucy with that thing. Watching her in person twice — I’ve seen her against the (Las Vegas) Aces and I saw her at the All-Star Game — she is elite. She is the pinnacle at passing the basketball.”
