Women's Fastbreak On SI

Stephen A. Smith Explains Why Caitlin Clark's Impact Exceeds Serena Williams and Simone Biles

Stephen A. Smith presented a clear argument as to why Caitlin Clark's impact on her sport is bigger than that of many women's sports legends.

Grant Young

Stephen A. Smith in 2021.
Stephen A. Smith in 2021. / Tori Lynn Schneider / USA TODAY NETWORK

Now that Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark's first season of professional basketball is over, media members won't be able to analyze any new performance on the court and instead must dissect her impact on the sport.

This discourse took a polarizing turn during an ESPN segment on Wednesday when a graphic was shown that compared Clark's career accomplishments with women's sports icons Serena Williams, Simone Biles, and Kate Ledecky.

X user @mtosc98 posted with this graphic with the caption, "I feel like we’ve lost the plot a bit here."

ESPN seemed to set itself up for criticism here. While Clark's talent is undeniable, she's just 22 years old and has played one season of professional basketball. At this point in her career, it's hard to devise a way she could reasonably get compared alongside these women who are the GOATs of their respective sports.

However, Stephen A. Smith noted a logical reason for how Clark's impact exceeds these other women during a later ESPN segment.

"I guess what I'm saying is, with Serena Williams, you were watching her. With Simone Biles, you were watching her," Smith said when asked about comparing Clark's accomplishments to them, per X user @Sudharsan_ak. "Caitlin Clark got you watching the league.

"Because it wasn't just her," Smith added. "You wanted to see who eventually she was going to end up going against. You saw other folks trying to get at her... she has you transfixed on the entire league."

He continued, saying, "When I think about Serena and Simone Biles and people like that, you watch THEM. You watch THEM. But with Caitlin Clark, you find yourself watching the league as well."

While Smith's take appears to be reasonable, it's surely still going to ruffle some feathers.

Published
Grant Young

GRANT YOUNG

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.

Home/News