The debate surrounding Caitlin Clark’s omission from the Olympics has been revived by Dave Portnoy after the Indiana Fever beat the Phoenix Mercury.
The Barstool Sports founder was among the most outspoken critics of the decision by USA Basketball to leave the WNBA star off the roster for this summer’s Games.
Portnoy branded selectors ‘dumb’, ‘braindead’, and ‘idiotic’ over the controversial call and he doubled down on his criticism after Indiana’s win over Phoenix.
Clark made more history in the game, racking up 15 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds – despite suffering from a migraine throughout the game.
The Mercury boasts several WNBA legends including Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, who once warned that Clark would need to be ready for a tough transition into the league.
Caitlin Clark shone as the Indiana Fever beat a Phoenix Mercury team featuring Diana Taurasi
Dave Portnoy has again ripped the decision to leave Caitlin Clark off the Olympic roster
Taurasi is among the 12-player team for Paris but after the game Portnoy branded her a ‘grandma’, writing on social media: ‘By the way Caitlin Clark put up a casual 15/9/12 pummeling on grandma Taurasi today on the road.
‘But yeah put Diana in the Olympics for the 100th time. What a joke.’
The 42-year-old has appeared at each of the past five Olympic Games, winning gold medals in Athens, Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
After Sunday’s game, Taurasi heaped praise on Clark for how she’s handled the new level of competition.
Taurasi heaped praise on Clark for how she’s handled the level of competition in the WNBA
‘It’s amazing what Caitlin has been able to do in her short career so far. It’s just been nothing short or remarkable. The one thing that I really love about her, she loves the game,’ the veteran said.
‘You can tell she put the work in. Even throughout her short WNBA career, it’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of things thrown at her.
‘She keeps showing up and keeps getting better every single game.
‘Her future is super bright. Being a veteran and being in the seat for a long, long time, it’s pretty cool to see that and going into the future.’
