Portnoy rips – Dave Portnoy accused the WNBA of “hating” Caitlin Clark after a Sunday doubleheader graphic promoted the Fever game against the Seattle Storm with Raven Johnson instead of Clark. Hours later on the court, Clark poured in 21 points with 10 assists to lead India
Barstool Sports president Dave Portnoy didn’t hold back after the WNBA social media team posted a Sunday doubleheader promotion that, in his view, left Caitlin Clark out of the spotlight.
The league account shared a graphic for games scheduled for Sunday: Las Vegas Aces vs Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever vs Seattle Storm.. On the left side. the Aces-Dream matchup was headlined by Las Vegas superstar A’ja Wilson and newly acquired Dream star Angel Reese.. On the right side. the Fever-Storm graphic highlighted former South Carolina teammates Zia Cooke of the Storm and Fever rookie Raven Johnson.
Portnoy treated that design choice like a direct message aimed at Clark and her fans.. “If this is real and I think it is this is the most idiotic promo I’ve ever seen in sports. ” he wrote.. He said he liked Raven Johnson. but criticized the league for what he called an intentional decision not to feature Clark “on every graphic for every Fever game.”
In his post and a follow-up video. Portnoy compared the situation to major NBA stars being omitted from promos. asking why the Fever account would exclude the league’s most prominent name.. “Like would you ever promote a Lakers game without LeBron?. Spurs without Wemby?. OKC without SGA?. It’s so intentional I can’t wrap my brain around it.. How can this league be so god damn stupid?” he said.
He added that Clark is the “face of your league,” and argued the WNBA instead chose to feature a rookie who, in his words, doesn’t produce enough. Portnoy ended with a direct call for action, saying, “You have to fire them… Who did that? Fire em, WNBA.”
The production choice was met with a quick test on the court soon after the Fever and Storm tip. After the game started, Johnson logged a career-high 17 minutes off the bench, and though she only took one shot—which she missed—she finished with no points, three rebounds, an assist and a block.
Clark, meanwhile, carried Indiana in the matchup. She led the Fever in points (21), rebounds (7), assists (10) and blocks (2) as the team pulled away to an 89-78 victory over Seattle.
Portnoy’s accusation came as Clark was already riding momentum; she had continued to struggle protecting the ball with five turnovers. but still stayed in a hot stretch.. Just days earlier, she dropped 32 points in an overtime loss to the Washington Mystics.. The Fever next play on Wednesday when they host the Portland Fire.
The sequence of Sunday promotion details and the immediate on-court results set up a stark contrast: the graphic highlighted Raven Johnson and Zia Cooke. while Clark finished with a full stat sheet—21 points. 7 rebounds. 10 assists and 2 blocks—to help Indiana win 89-78. even as Johnson ended with no points from 17 minutes off the bench.
WNBA Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever Dave Portnoy Raven Johnson Seattle Storm promo graphic A'ja Wilson Angel Reese Zia Cooke