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Caitlin Clark opting out of WNBA All-Star's 3-point contest 'surprised and disappointed' Skip Bayless

2 months ago 24

By Alastair Talbot

Published: 20:27 BST, 20 July 2024 | Updated: 20:31 BST, 20 July 2024

He may no longer have a show by the end of this summer, but Skip Bayless won't let that possibility diminish his opinions on Caitlin Clark, as he claimed to have been stunned by the WNBA star's decision to withdraw from the All-Star's 3-point contest.

On Saturday, the 72-year-old host of Fox Sports 'Undisputed' talk show took to social media barely 24 hours after Allisha Grey, of the Atlanta Dream, emerged victorious from tightly called affair against Jonquel Jones, of the New York Liberty, in Arizona.

Bayless posted on X: 'Surprised & disappointed Caitlin Clark didn't participate in last night's 3-Point Contest.

'She is the ''Steph Curry of women's basketball.'' But she said she has played for a year straight and that it's hard to just show up and shoot off a rack. 

'LeBronesque w the Dunk Contest,' Bayless added in a dig to the LA Lakers star - a four-time NBA champion. 

Skip Bayless went after Caitlin Clark after she pulled out from the WNBA All-Star's 3-pt contest

The 71-year-old NBA analyst even described Clark as the 'Steph Curry of women's basketball'

He also made a dig at Lakers star LeBron James for opting out of the dunk contest in the past

Clark wasn't the only high-profile name to sit out from the WNBA's All-Star 3-point contest, as the Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu did the same. 

Ionescu, who didn't offer an explanation for her decision, took part in last year's event, and even went up against Steph Curry in the NBA's own equivalent of the competition.

'Honestly, I think just rest,' Clark said when asked about her choice to pull out from the All-Star 3-point contest on Friday night in Phoenix. 'I've been playing basketball for a year straight.'

She continued: 'That's not an easy thing to just show up to and shoot off a rack. It's not something I've ever done before. It's not something that I've had a lot of time to practice. 

'So I'm just enjoying this break. I think there's gonna be a lot of opportunities for me to do this at some point.'

Allisha Gray, of the Atlanta Dream, eventually won the All-Star 3-point contest on Friday night

Clark watched on from the sidelines with teammate Aaliyah Boston and other WNAB players

Clark did, however, take part in the half-court short contest but lost out to familiar rival Angel Reese, who is also a frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year Award. 

As for Bayless, his future in media seems uncertain after both Stephen A. Smith and his employer - ESPN - distanced themselves from him

Bayless and Smith once worked several years on the network's 'First Take' show until the former's departure for Fox Sports in 2016.

'Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith, together as partners, working across from each other on a debate show, is over. It's been over,' Smith said on his YouTube Channel this week. 

'This is not the first time I've said it. There's no negativity or shade being shown at Skip Bayless. I have moved on.' 

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