Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has been roughed up some during the 2025 season, finding herself on the wrong end of multiple hard fouls during her second year in the WNBA.
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith believes that President Donald Trump could get involved if Clark continues to receive hard fouls and tough treatment from veterans in the league.
“All of these things are things that have the eye of the [Trump] administration,” Stephen A. Smith said recently on ESPN First Take. “As you know, it ain’t just sports that I’m doing. I’m doing a lot more than sports. I am not guessing on this. I didn’t just go on my show and bring it up for no reason. I happen to know a few people who have said, ‘This is something that do not be surprised if President Trump speaks on eventually.’”
Smith warned that if Trump does indeed speak out, it could be bad news for the WNBA.
“If that man decides that this is something that could feed his base, that can ingratiate himself with that kind of audience, that is protective of a Caitlin Clark and what she stands for and what she represents, and they come to a conclusion that they believe that she is being unfairly treated, that is going to be a problem for the WNBA,” he said.
Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White called out officials in the WNBA earlier this year after Clark took a hard foul, leading to multiple altercations, during a game against the Connecticut Sun.
White proclaimed that “it was pretty obvious that stuff was brewing” and added that “it’s not just this game; it’s been happening all season long.”
Apparently Donald Trump has taken notice of the treatment Clark is receiving, according to Stephen A. Smith, and is not happy.
“They can make the argument that there’s enough merit,” Smith said. “You have members of the administration who have thought about it, from what I’m being told. And based on Trump’s history with the NFL and him being an obvious sports fan – goes to events and stuff like that – he pays attention to this kind of stuff. And this is the kind of stuff that can feed that base.
“So I’m saying to the WNBA, because I support the WNBA, I want them to succeed, I want all of these ladies to get their money. I want them to have their success. I’m just warning them, watch it, because if he gets involved, and that base gets involved, because somehow, someway they embrace victimhood on the part of Caitlin Clark, it could be a problem. Be careful.”
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