Skip Bayless and his relationship with controversy are nothing new. Famous for his nearly two-decade-old beef with LeBron James, it now seems like Skip has found a new player to have a back-and-forth with. And this time around, it’s against Caitlin Clark’s ‘protector’ Sophie Cunningham. Starting from a typical speculative hot-take by Skip Bayless, this feud heated up when Sophie responded to his take on her podcast. And if you thought Bayless would not fire back, you might want to think again.

Ever since joining the Indiana Fever, Sophie Cunningham has assumed the role of an enforcer. Already having the reputation of a great on-ball defender with Indiana, she has the task of defending her teammates as well. Who can forget her hard foul on Jacy Sheldon in the same game against the Connecticut Sun, where Caitlin Clark was first poked in the eye by Sheldon and then shoved by Marina Mabrey? While most believe Sophie Cunningham’s loyalty towards Caitlin to be the driving force behind this defense, the 73-year-old is of a completely different opinion.

Speaking on his August 25 episode of The Skip Bayless Show, he said, “Sophie Cunningham is a shrewd operator. She can really play the game within the game  — the social media game, the get-famous game. Obviously, she didn’t wish injury on Caitlin, but has one name Sophie ever benefited from Caitlin Clark’s stranger and stranger second season.” From his comments, Skip implied that Sophie Cunningham’s protection and loyalty are just a way to get famous by riding the coattails of Caitlin Clark. 

The Skip Bayless vs. Sophie Cunningham beef started early in August. On his show, Skip gave his traditional ‘hot-take.’ He said, “Maybe Caitlin Clark has taken a couple of ‘injury’ breaks just because she needed a mental break from all the jealousy and resentment and bullying and cheap shots.” Interestingly, Clark, before this season, had played in 185 consecutive games and had not missed a game since she was in high school. To this, Sophie Cunningham emphatically replied, “That’s literally bulls–t. No one’s lying,” thereby dismissing Skip Bayless’ ‘fake injury’ claims. 

She further continued, “When you’re an elite-level player, you not being able to play is the hardest part, mentally, physically, emotionally… When people say stuff like that, I’m just like ‘shut up.’” While her injury severity was not disclosed, since Caitlin Clark was dealing with a soft-tissue injury, her recovery was always going to be slow. Especially after the Indiana Fever admitted to mishandling her previous groin injury, there was no way that the Fever was going to push her a bit. Cunningham defending Caitlin in this scenario is again evidence of her showing immense loyalty towards her. 

While it is true that being Caitlin Clark’s teammate has its perks, there is always a bigger audience whenever CC’s name is in question. And yes, ever since the incident in the game against the Connecticut Sun, Sophie’s popularity has grown massively. In the debut episode of her Show Me Something podcast, she said that her social media following shot up overnight after the incident. But with a constant show of support from Sophie Cunningham to Caitlin Clark, there should be no doubts about the intention behind that support and ‘protection.’

While that’s that, fans want a return timeline for their star 2024 Rookie of the Year.

Is Caitlin Clark going to be back for the playoffs?

Ever since Caitlin Clark injured her groin against the Connecticut Sun, there has been just one question on fans’ minds: When is she going to be back? In their quest to find this answer, Caitlin Clark’s fans have had to deal with a lot of frustration. First, there was a delayed report. Then, there was a series of generic updates about her ‘progression.’ And finally, there was even a report of a potential setback. 

This saga of frustration began when the Indiana Fever did not release any updates on her injury for 9 days after the injury occurred. Even when they released an update, they did not mention any indications about the severity or any timetable for her return. Since then, all we’ve gotten from the Fever organization is ‘she is progressing, ’ but we’ll see how it goes. When asked if she thinks that Caitlin Clark will be back for the playoffs, head coach Stephanie White had responded, “That’s the hope.”

However, a report from August 20 put cold water on these hopes. As per the reports, Caitlin Clark had suffered a very mild ankle bone bruise on August 7. However, the report did mention that the bruise would not play any part in Caitlin Clark’s recovery from the groin injury, but knowing the history, the fans took it with a grain of salt. But now, it seems like there is light at the end of the tunnel, and we might yet see Caitlin Clark in action this year. 

Before the Fever’s last game against the Minnesota Lynx, Caitlin Clark was present at shootaround, and she even participated in some part of team activities. Granted, she is still some ways away from a comeback, but this recent report is a sign that head coach and so many fans’ hopes to see Caitlin Clark may well come true.