Skip Bayless and Caitlin Clark (Photos via Getty Images)
Sports fans are teeing off on Skip Bayless over his insane take on Caitlin Clark following her historic performance yesterday.
On Saturday, Caitlin Clark recorded 19 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds and led the Indiana Fever to an 83-78 victory over the New York Liberty. Clark also made WNBA history, becoming the first rookie to post a triple-double.
After her special performance, Bayless put a negative spin on it by pointing out Clark’s struggles in the second half. He ended his Twitter/X post by adding her performances in the second half “are increasingly baffling.”
Caitlin Clark gets first ever Fever triple double (19/12/13) but only 2-8 in 2nd half without a 3. Went strong to bucket only once in 2nd half, for 3-pt play that kept Fever in it. They pulled it out. Finally beat Liberty. But CC's 3rd/4th quarters are increasingly baffling.— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 6, 2024
Fans wasted no time ripping Bayless, who’s never a stranger to controversial and questionable takes:
You’re increasingly baffling, wannabe.
It’s the first rookie triple double in WNBA history, and it was in a victory over the top team in the league.
Must you over analyze everything?
— The Jessenator 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 (@DeebieBrother) July 7, 2024
She played 38 minutes on a team that erased a 7 point deficit at the end of the 3rd to win by 5 over the best team in the league.
What’s baffling about that?
— Stevie Janowski (@S_Janowski) July 7, 2024
Hey Skip, you've covered basketball for a really long time, have you ever seen a player get picked up defensively the entire 94 feet of the court all game by every team? By the way, she's the first rookie in history to have a triple double, not just the first Fever player. pic.twitter.com/Q51cbz8zUP
— Turner Fargate (@swiftspeaker) July 7, 2024
As folks know, Skip Bayless has made a name for himself off scathing takes. That includes countless attacks on LeBron James, not to mention his infamous claim that Johnny Manziel would become a bigger deal in Cleveland than The King himself.
So, it’s not surprising that he’s taking a negative approach to discussing Caitlin Clark’s special day. It’s takes like this that help the FS1 sports journalist and former ESPN personality get a rise out of people.
Caitlin Clark & The Fever Are Rolling
The former Iowa star and first overall pick of 2024 has lived up to the expectations in every aspect. The 22-year-old is currently averaging 16.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game.
Indiana started out slowly, losing their first five games and eight of their first nine. But they’ve been on a roll since defeating Atlanta 91-79 on June 21, a victory that marked the first of a four-game winning streak. The Fever currently occupy the final playoff spot as No. 8 seed, and they’re just two games behind Phoenix for the No. 6 seed.
Saturday’s five-point victory over New York was by far the Fever’s most impressive W of the season. At 17-4, New York carriers the best record in the WNBA heading into Sunday’s slate of games.