Last season, the WNBA was left stunned by Caitlin Clark’s physical struggles. After making such a huge impact during her rookie year, Clark was forced to watch most of the 2025 season from the sidelines. Leg, quad, and groin injuries limited her to just 13 games before she was eventually ruled out for the rest of the season.
Now, things look very different. Clark is back on the court, and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy believes she could take home the biggest individual award this season.
Dave Portnoy Makes Bold Caitlin Clark Prediction
On Monday’s episode of “Wake Up Barstool,” Portnoy predicted that Clark would be named the WNBA MVP this season.
“Caitlin Clark, stock up. There’s been a lot of talk about her, and there were quotes that she’s the 10th-best guard in the league, and there’s so much swirling around her. Caitlin Clark is the MVP. And I’m not just saying because I’m a Caitlin Clark fan,” Portnoy said during the show.
“Caitlin Clark is the MVP, and I’m not just saying it because I’m a Caitlin Clark fan, the numbers, and what she has been doing for the last month…there’s crazy stats… the league has never seen anything like it”
–@stoolpresidente pic.twitter.com/JJGsB9sABi— Wake Up Barstool (@wakeupbarstool) August 31, 2026
It’s not hard to see why Portnoy is making that kind of prediction. Clark is averaging 22.5 points, 8.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds a night this season, and her most recent outing backs up every bit of that praise.
In her last game, against the Connecticut Sun on Friday, Clark dropped 34 points and dished out 12 assists in just 34 minutes.
And this wasn’t a one-off. Clark has now gone three straight games scoring at least 20 points. She had scored 21 points against the Liberty, followed by a 37-point performance against the Chicago Sky, and then kept the run going with 34 points against the Sun.
“The numbers and what she has been doing for the last month. The last game, 34 points, 12 assists. Game before that, 37 points, 10 assists. There are crazy stats of, like, nobody in the history of the league has scored 30 and had double-digit assists. In her last, I don’t know, 10 games: 34, 37, 21, 24, 26, 29, 22. She’s a double-double machine.”
“The league has never seen anything like it. You’ve had people try to say she’s overrated. She can’t shoot. Her three-ball is coming around. She is dominating the sport just like we thought she would, and she is the MVP of the WNBA,” Portnoy added during the show.
Still, it would be unfair to act as if Clark were running away with the MVP award uncontested. A’ja Wilson has been putting together a strong campaign of her own. She is averaging 26.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
Then there’s Minnesota Lynx rookie Olivia Miles, who has quietly been one of the most well-rounded players in the WNBA. She is averaging 19.7 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game. Both players have made it clear they belong firmly in the MVP conversation, and neither can be brushed aside.
That said, given everything Clark has battled through and how she’s bounced back, it’s easy to understand why Portnoy sees her as the frontrunner.
