Dave Portnoy is calling for a
WNBA official to be fired or suspended for giving Indiana Fever rookie sensation Caitlin Clark a technical and admonishing her for punching a stanchion on Sunday.
Clark set the league’s rookie season record for assists in the 92-75 win over the Seattle Storm, but the post-game discussion centered around the tech and her exchange with official Tyler Ricks.
‘I got a technical for basically being mad at myself because I missed a three,’ Clark said after her 23-point, 9-assist effort in the win. ‘And then I went and hit the backboard, and he told me it was disrespectful to the game of basketball.’
She went on to say that she should thank Ricks for inspiring her remarkable second-half performance.
Portnoy – an uncompromising Clark fan who recently bet $100,000 on the Fever winning this year’s WNBA title – was less forgiving. As he wrote on X, Portnoy believes Ricks ‘should be suspended or fired.’
Portnoy is calling for a WNBA official to be fired or suspended after giving Clark a technical
Caitlin Clark was told she was ‘disrespectful to the game’ by a referee during Sunday’s game
Official Tyler Ricks gave Clark a technical foul for hitting the stanchion after missing a three
El Presidente’s loyal army of Stoolies agreed.
‘Fired,’ wrote on fan on X. ‘Obviously a lunatic.’
‘Fired,’ another added. ‘Publicly.’
One supporter suggested to Portnoy that he should pay any fine Clark ends up incurring.
‘These refs are soft,’ read a comment that was more or less echoed by countless other Stoolies.
The moment didn’t end up hurting the Fever, who improved to 11-16 as the Storm fell to 17-10.
Naturally, Portnoy is excited to see the Fever improve – particularly because he bet $100,000 on the team winning a WNBA title this season, and did so when the odds were at 100 to 1.
Clark broke the record previously held by Ticha Penicheiro with her 225th assist of the season
That means Portnoy could win $10 million if the Fever defy the odds win a league crown.
‘This Seattle, they’re like 17-9, one of the better, we are blowing them out!’ Portnoy said in a self-shot video during Sunday’s Fever win. ‘Up 20, blowout!
‘I’m telling you, I hope you jumped in, the $10 million man, what is the score Dave, 87-71,’ Portnoy continued. ‘Let’s check the odds now on the Indiana Fever to win the championship.’
As of Monday, DraftKings was listing the Fever’s title chances at 35 to 1.
Currently the 23-4 New York Liberty (3/2) and the 17-9 defending-champion Las Vegas Aces (17-/10) are the favorites.
The Fever have won their last two games and will hit the road against the Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream on the 24th and 26th of August.
Indiana sits seventh in the league and third in the Eastern Conference.
‘I think I could have done a better job of regaining my cool but that’s like the fire and passion that just gets me going,’ Clark continued. ‘Its just finding a way to channel that, use that, and I think I did a real good job of that at the end of the third quarter, start of the fourth quarter.’
Clark now has five technical fouls this season – making her two T’s away from an automatic one-game suspension.
