Monica McNutt Stuns Stephen A. Smith By Calling Out His Lack Of WNBA Coverage
Monica McNutt has done something that most people have yet to do: silence Stephen A. Smith.
During the latest episode of First Take, the crew debated the recent incident surrounding Chicago Sky’s Chennedy Carter and Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark. After her dirty foul, Carter was hit with a flagrant-1 violation.
McNutt and Stephen A. Smith got into a spirited exchange about the incident and how Clark’s presence in the league may or may not have incited jealousy across the WNBA. Smith asserted that the women across the league were out to target Clark and that they were wrong for doing so because she was elevating the league to a different stratosphere of popularity.
He then used the WNBA getting charter flights after Clark complained about it as an example of her power and superstar prowess, and opined that the ladies should be more focused on “maximizing great potential” instead of hating on Clark. “Because we bring that up and what might potentially get in their way—which we do to men all the time—now we got to sit up here and watch every syllable. I resent that,” he declared.
McNutt pushed back on his claims, contending that using a blanket statement to criticize all women across the league is “unfair” and challenged him to use the same level of competitive spirit and nuance they use to discuss the NBA to talk about the W. “We’re still talking about competition, where you are allowed to get a little extra elbow in if you are competing and you do it in the parameters of the game,” she argued. “The game is physical; Caitlin is helping to grow the league; these women understand that, but she cannot be babied as a rookie!”
McNutt compared Smith’s lament to the hardships of Black women who have to walk through life trying to please everybody with their existence. Shannon Sharpe and Smith then asked if she had tried “living as a Black man?”
Smith later asked the Maryland native who actually discusses the WNBA more than First Take, to which she responded perfectly: “Respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to.” Stephen A. replied with one word: “Wow.”
The incident that began the heated debate focused on Angel Reese and the Sky dueling with Clark’s Fever on Saturday (June 1). Their battle resulted in multiple fines being dished out against the Sky for Angel Reese‘s refusal to speak with the media after their 70-71 loss. The Chi-Town Barbie was hit with a $1,000 fine, while the Chicago organization received a $5,000 fine for not making sure the Angel was available for the post-game presser.
However, the popular point of conversation involved Carter’s dirty play that sent Clark crashing to the floor. Chennedy refused to discuss Clark in her post-game interview, and then went to Instagram’s Threads to voice off on the rookie phenom. Responding to a fan’s post, Carter insisted that Clark isn’t anything special outside of her three-point shot.
Watch the videos above.
