Barstool Sports owner and founder Dave Portnoy relentlessly hammered a host of WNBA analysts after they continued to suggest Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark were on the same level.
And the Chicago Sky rookie ended up getting a heavy dose of the collateral damage.
Portnoy initially took aim at ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith and WNBA analyst Sheryl Swoopes for bothering to put Clark and Reese in the same sentence.
“I’m starting to worry about Angel Reese and her mental health, what comes along with the media,” he said. “Specifically ESPN. I saw Stephen A. Smith put them in the same sentence. Sheryl Swoopes, that idiot …”
Portnoy noted that a lot of these people feel Clark and Reese are battling it out for Rookie of the Year honors. Reality says otherwise.
“They’re not both Rookie of the Years, they’re not and it’s okay,” he said.
Dave Portnoy Thinks Angel Reese As Rookie Of The Year Is Laughable
Lisa Leslie, another WNBA legend, took the ridiculous tact that the Indiana Fever star and her rookie counterpart are on equal footing.
“I don’t care what comparisons you make both [Reese] and [Clark] deserve the Rookie of the Year Award!” she claimed.
“The pressure and the weight of this season has forever changed the [WNBA] and both rookies rose to the top and exceeded all our expectations! Take a bow ladies.”
That is a ridiculous take. Leslie should not take a bow for lacking the courage to state that Clark is definitively better than Reese at this stage of their careers.
It’s okay to say they’re both really good players with a lot of upside. But right now, this season, Clark is miles ahead of Reese.
“They are not in the same sentence,” Portnoy said on X. “Not everyone is Steph Curry… Some people are a poor man’s Dennis Rodman.”
The Debate Is Over
Dave Portnoy seems to be alluding to the controversy surrounding Angel Reese and her rebounding statistics being padded due to her incredibly poor short-range shooting percentage.
“Reese, generational rebounder possibly, very good rebounder, motor. Can’t shoot a lick. One of the worst shooters in the league, 30% from a foot out, it’s disgusting,” he said.
“Doesn’t pass, doesn’t know one stat. She’s a great rebounder, doesn’t make her team better.”
If there was any debate over which one was more deserving of the Rookie of the Year award, Clark has quickly put that to rest since the Olympic break.
The Fever guard has been absolutely lights out in leading her team to six wins in their last seven games. Reese, meanwhile has been focused heavily on rebounding and double-doubles as her Sky have lost seven out of their last eight games.
And Clark trounced Reese in their latest head-to-head matchup, leading the Fever to a 100-81 beatdown of the Sky. Caitlin scored 31 points with 12 assists and four rebounds. For her part, Reese scored 10 points while adding 11 rebounds.
Miles apart.
Angel is a solid contributor, but she and Clark are not 1 and 1. They’re not even 1 and 1a. At this point, Caitlin is 1 and Reese is Z.
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