Kevin Durant’s Brother Comes to Caitlin Clark’s Defense After Stephen A. Smith Says She Should Use Her Platform to Speak Up
· Yahoo Sports
Caitlin Clark once again finds herself at the center of controversy for not speaking on the transgender athlete debate making waves across the WNBA and other sports.
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Her decision to keep her focus on the game instead of siding with her Indiana Fever teammate, Sophie Cunningham, who reignited the transgender athlete debate, has sparked controversy among fans and media personalities.
The latest to weigh in on this issue is media personality Stephen A. Smith, who said there are people “negatively” using her as an excuse when she should be speaking up on these issues publicly.
“Nobody’s blaming Caitlin Clark for it,” Smith said on Friday’s episode of First Take. “I’m simply saying that there’s a lot of people that are being negatively affected because they’re using her as a narrative and as an excuse to throw venom and hostility towards contemporaries. I’m saying when you see something like that happen, and you have the cachet to speak up about it, you should. That goes for all of us. I’m in the media. This is the position that I sit in. If I see somebody attacking an abundance of my contemporaries, and I believe that’s unfair, I’ll be damned if I’m gonna be quiet. Why? Because I’m in a position where I can make a difference. Caitlin Clark is in a position where she can make a difference. I understand she’s 24, but she ain’t 14. She’s smart. She knows how to speak.”
While Smith believes Clark needs to speak out on these issues, Kevin Durant’s brother, Tony Durant, feels the opposite. He responded to Smith’s comments in the post’s section on First Take’s Instagram page:
Tony Durant Comment“Man, it’s not her responsibility to do anything but hoop!!!!! She don’t gotta stand at the forefront cuz ya want her to!!!!” Durant wrote.
Both Smith and Durant have been vocal supporters of Clark since she stepped foot in the WNBA. But as Clark’s popularity continues to grow and her presence divides opinions nationally, it’s okay for the two to have different views on the issue. What matters is how Clark chooses to handle the situation and what she believes is right for her.
Caitlin Clark had a tough outing in overtime loss
Coming off a hard-fought 108-101 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever hoped to get back on track Friday against the Las Vegas Aces at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
For most of the game, it looked like that might happen, as the Fever built a 20-point lead in the second quarter. However, costly mistakes and turnovers allowed the Aces to fight back and force overtime, eventually securing an 86-84 win.
Caitlin Clark finished with 20 points and eight assists while shooting 2-for-10 from three-point range. She missed a pair of free throws with a three-point lead late in regulation and committed a turnover that led to Chelsea Gray’s game-winning basket.
Throughout the game, Clark committed eight turnovers, including one in overtime. The Fever guard didn’t shy away from taking responsibility after the game when asked about her performance:
“Those are free throws I usually make and certainly frustrating,” Clark said. “Obviously, one of them gives us a two-possession lead and kind of caused my pain there, for sure, so that’s on me.”
While the result was frustrating, the loss also sparked a bigger picture reflection from Clark on how she can improve her game. The Fever have now dropped two straight games to fall to 19-12 and will face the Chicago Sky on the road Sunday.
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