Dave Portnoy goes scorched earth on WNBA, Marina Mabrey after Caitlin Clark shove

Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, expressed intense anger towards Sun guard Marina Mabrey and the WNBA following an altercation involving Mabrey and Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark during Tuesday's game between the Connecticut Sun and Indiana Fever. Portnoy posted on X (formerly Twitter) demanding Mabrey be kicked out of the league and criticizing the WNBA for not ejecting her after the incident, which he described as assaulting "the face of the league." He also argued Clark should not have received a technical foul.

The confrontation began in the third quarter of the Fever's 88-71 victory when Sun guard Jacy Sheldon poked Clark in the eye. Clark responded by bumping into Sheldon, and then Sun guard Marina Mabrey stepped in and knocked Clark to the ground. Following a lengthy review, officials upgraded Sheldon's foul to a Flagrant 1 and assessed technical fouls to Clark, Mabrey, and Sun center Tina Charles.

Crew chief Ashley Gloss explained post-game that Sheldon's foul was upgraded due to being "unnecessary" with contact to the face carrying "potential for injury." Gloss stated Mabrey's foul did not meet the criteria for an ejection or a Flagrant Foul Penalty 2.

Later, with under a minute left and the Fever winning, Sun guard Jacy Sheldon had a fast break before Fever guard Sophie Cunningham pulled her to the ground, seemingly in retaliation for the earlier incident. This led to a shoving match between Sheldon and Cunningham, resulting in ejections for both players, plus Sun guard Lindsay Allen.

The game marked Caitlin Clark's second game back after missing five games due to a left quad strain. She had scored a season-high 32 points in her return game on Saturday. Against the Sun, Clark recorded 20 points, six rebounds, and one assist, helping the Fever secure a berth in the Commissioner's Cup final against the Minnesota Lynx.