Stephen A. Smith doubles down on Caitlin Clark ‘marketing’ rant and claims US women’s team were box office flop in Paris
STEPHEN A. Smith stood by his stance that Team USA missed an opportunity to showcase Caitlin Clark during the Paris Olympics.
The 56-year-old ESPN star shared his thoughts on Clark not being part of the US women's team that claimed the gold against France over the weekend.
During his latest edition of The Stephen A. Smith Show, the First Take analyst acknowledged that the Americans "got it done" in their 67-66 gold medal game win versus the host country France.
But Stephen A. believes that Team USA didn't receive an optimal amount of support at their games in Paris which could've been prevented if Clark made the squad according to him.
"There were approximately 13,000-plus people that showed up for Team USA's games for the women," Smith said.
"I was just of the mindset that Caitlin Clark needed to be on the team.
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"Box office matters. ... Now, you came home with the gold. You handled your business.
"But when you talk about marketing the sport, I think Team USA missed an opportunity to elevate the profile of women's excellence in the sport of basketball."
Still, the Americans won their eighth straight gold medal and haven't lost in Olympic play in 61 games.
Stephen A.'s latest comments echo his past sentiments during First Take.
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When the news came out that Team USA didn't pick Clark for the squad, Smith shared that she was snubbed from the team and said the Iowa Hawkeyes rookie star would've helped the US when it came "marketing."
Stephen A. also shared his opinion on his self-titled podcast that rookie Angel Reese should've made the club.
"I'm just of the mindset that when you look Team USA basketball, I still think Caitlin Clark should have been on the team. And to a lesser degree, Angel Reese," he said.
"I think she should have been on the team too."
Both Clark and Reese have helped the WNBA's popularity rise exponentially.
The pair appeared in the All-Star game as the once-college rivals and the league's rookies played against Team USA.
Clark and Reese helped claim the victory over the future Team USA gold winners.
The two stars got a much-needed break as they were drafted by their respective WNBA squads just weeks after the end of the college basketball season.
Reese traveled to Paris to watch both Team USA squads play in their exhibition games.
Clark, meanwhile, took a trip to New York over the weekend.
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The NCAA all-time leading scorer got to watch the New York Yankees play where she met superstar Aaron Judge before the game.
It's expected that Clark and Reese will be part of the US's Olympic team in 2028.