Stephen A. Smith Applauds Caitlin Clark Prioritizing WNBA Over NBA 3-Point Contest
On January 29, it was revealed that Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark would not be participating in a three-point shooting competition during the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend, as had been discussed over the past few months.
"Caitlin Clark has formally declined an invitation to be part of a male vs. female 3-point contest at next month's NBA All-Star Game, preferring to make her 3-point shooting debut at the WNBA All-Star Game at her home arena in July," Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal wrote in a January 29 article.
"Caitlin will not be at NBA All-Star," her representatives at Excel Sports Management said in a statement Wednesday, per the article. "She wants her first three-point contest to be at WNBA All-Star in Indianapolis this summer."
The article later added, "The league believed Clark's involvement would have had mass appeal but her preference became to wait for the WNBA event at Gainbridge Arena."
If you're waiting to catch Caitlin Clark at the NBA's 3-point contest, sorry to disappoint.
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) January 29, 2025
It's officially not happening.
She wants her first 3-point contest to be in front of fans in Indy this summer.https://t.co/SJyIfWnLT4 pic.twitter.com/cxeCi6PVsV
Clark's decision to forgo the NBA All-Star competition to instead make her debut in the WNBA's version has received a ton of praise from many. And ESPN media personality Stephen A. Smith summed up why nicely during a January 30 episode of First Take.
"I totally applaud what Caitlin Clark is doing. She is putting the WNBA first. She's saying 'Yo, we matter first to me. We should matter first to the ladies,'" Smith said, per an X post from First Take.
"I'll make an argument. Considering the lackluster effort the NBA have been given during All-Star Weekend, [the women] should matter more, period. It's a travesty what has happened to the NBA."
Smith later added, "These guys play harder in summertime, when they're working out than they play at All-Star Weekend. How inexcusable is that?"
"People say that Caitlin Clark 'moves the needle.' That is wrong. She is the needle." 😤 @chiney and @stephenasmith on Caitlin Clark declining to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game's 3-Pt contest. pic.twitter.com/BgVEzEqpes
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 30, 2025
Smith continued by saying, "They don't care enough. And that is why I love that Caitlin Clark is doing this because she's saying 'Wait a minute. I care.' She's not throwing any shade on the NBA. I'm doing that, not her. But what she's saying is 'The WNBA matters most to me. It matters most to us ladies. I hope it grows to matter more. Let them keep doing what they're doing. We're going to be a part of significant because we'll never cheat the audience with effort like that. We gonna do all we gotta do.'"
Those are powerful words from Smith.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.