Dave Portnoy Slams Megyn Kelly as an 'Absolute Moron' for Calling WNBA Star Caitlin Clark a 'Coward'
Dave Portnoy hit out at Megyn Kelly on X.
Aug. 4 2026, Published 1:35 p.m. ET
Dave Portnoy rushed to defend Caitlin Clark after Megyn Kelly took a dig at her character over the ongoing transgender athlete discourse spreading through the WNBA.
The Barstool Sports founder urged Kelly to back off after she judged Clark's choice to avoid a question about trans women in women's sports, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Dave Portnoy Calls Megyn Kelly 'Idiot'
Kelly called Caitlin Clark a 'coward.'
Kelly called Clark a "coward" online after the WNBA player passed on giving a direct opinion on the matter.
However, Portnoy replied with his own diss for Kelly, calling her an "absolute moron/idiot." He wrote on X, "1st of all you don’t even know how she feels on this issue and more importantly she doesn’t owe it to you or anybody else to be your political talking point. She just wants to play ball. Total coward cheap shot to call her a coward for not being your puppet."
In response, Kelly told Portnoy to "sit this one out," claiming the issue was a much bigger problem than he realized. She explained, "UCLA Law estimates over 120k trans athletes at the HS level."
Kelly added, "Understand this however: if it were your daughter suffering brain damage from a boy posing as a girl, you wouldn’t care how many others there were. One is too many."
Notably, the stat from the university's Williams Institute identified transgender high school athletes overall. The number is not exclusive to trans women competing against cisgender women.
Caitlin Clark Dodges Question About Trans Players
Clark left decisions about trans athletes up to the league.
Clark was asked to weigh in on the fiery debate after her teammate, Sophie Cunningham, made a splash for demanding transwomen be barred from women's sports.
However, the Indiana Fever player dodged the question, turning the responsibility onto the institutions rather than the players. She said at a press conference, "It's for the leagues and governing bodies to work with their athletes to find solutions."
Further, she told reporters the conversation wasn't one common in her locker room. Instead, she insisted, she and her teammates are focused on basketball. "And that's what we talk about," she added.
Sophie Cunningham Lit Up League With Anti-Trans Take
Sophie Cunningham has been vocal about her views.
Cunningham, who is also on Clark's team, gained public attention for her opinions on the topic. She expressed a desire to keep transwomen out of women's sports, but also claimed she doesn't hate trans people.
“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans,” she said, according to ESPN. “And I’m like, ‘I never once said that.’"
Cunningham added, "I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”
The basketball player has doubled down on her opinion amid backlash.
She was also pictured posing with conservative blogger Riley Gaines, who became a fierce adversary against trans women in sports after she tied for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.
Minnesota Lynx Coach Argues With Cunningham
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Cheryl Reeve confronted Cunningham before a game.
Criticism of Cunningham's opinion didn't just come from the fans. Some within the league were openly shaken by Cunningham's position.
Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve wore a “Trans kids belong” shirt to a game against the Fever on Sunday. She met with Cunningham mid-court before the game where they were spotted in deep conversation.
“Both of us understand that we have platforms and we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate,” Reeve later said. “There are some things that we have in common, and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues. I think it’s how you handle things. It was nice to be in person, for sure.”
