First, catch viewers divided on the ‘hard to watch’ segment and sigh ‘they’re back’ as Stephen A. clashes with the guests

FIRST Take heated up once again when the topic of Caitlin Clark came up on Monday.

The 22-year-old Indiana Fever rookie was controversially not selected to Team USA’s 12-player roster ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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Although Clark brushed it aside when given the chance to address the decision, the issue has bitterly divided WNBA fans.

And the First Take team was no different, with Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe on one side, and Chiney Ogwumike and Andraya Carter on the other when discussing Monday’s conference call.

“As a fan of Caitlin Clark, I would love to see her on that stage doing what she has always done, creating moments that grow the game,” said Ogwumike, a two-time WNBA All-Star.

“But Team USA doesn’t select simply based on fandom, especially when the world is recovering.”

While Ogwumike admitted there may be question marks surrounding the selection of Diana Taurasi, who will be 42 at the Olympic Games, and Christian Grey, who is yet to play this season, she added that she felt the decision was based on the experience of those selected.

As for Carter, she added that along with their collective experience, their chemistry may have also played a role.

She noted that the U.S. team’s inability to practice intensively as a team before Paris could have contributed to the importance of their previous time together.

What’s more, Carter also suggested that because Clark is unlikely to start ahead of the likes of Taurasi, Clark’s absence from the starting lineup may have been a distraction.

Smith and Sharpe, however, had other ideas.

“It’s not that you’re wrong, it’s that we don’t care. Everything you said doesn’t matter in this particular case,” Smith argued.

Smith essentially argued, and very sarcastically, that concerns about roster depth and that being a reason not to select Clark were nonsense.

“You know very well [that] With or without Caitlin Clark, they will probably win gold again,” he added.

Smith went on to declare Team USA’s decision “stupid,” asking, “How dare you make that decision?”

He also said that all the players on the squad deserved the opportunity and that in terms of ability, Clark still did not deserve a place.

However, Smith argued that this is no longer a purely basketball discussion, saying instead that it is about spreading the game – as he claimed was the case with Christian Laettner in 1992 for the men’s national team.

He explained that he felt the Olympics represented “an opportunity to globalize the WNBA brand,” adding that it could help its stars not have to play overseas in the offseason to supplement their income — citing Brittney Griner.

The entire conversation was divisive on X, formerly known as Twitter, where footage of the debate quickly went viral.

“Mannnnnnn, they’re doing it again,” said one fan, in reference to the numerous heated debates fueled by the WNBA a week earlier.

“These WNBA segments are hard to watch on First Take,” commented a second.

“Stephen A and Shannon don’t know what they’re talking about and don’t want to respect the knowledge of the women who acted and covered it.”

A third responded: “First Take has become insufferable when it comes to talking about WNBA…”

While another added: “Leaving Caitlin Clark off the US team will go down as one of the biggest business mistakes in recent history.”

Women’s basketball will be played between July 28th and August 11th and will take place at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium and also at the Bercy Arena.

The US team will be in Group C alongside Germany, Japan and Belgium.

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