"Stupidest sh*t I've ever heard": Former Steph Curry teammate Matt Barnes lashes out at billionaire owner over Caitlin Clark jibe

Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson criticized Time magazine’s decision to name Caitlin Clark its Athlete of the Year last week, insisting that the WNBA should have been named the winner and the league put on the magazine cover. Johnson asserted that the WNBA's success couldn’t be pinned on “just one player.”

In his podcast with Stephen Jackson, Steph Curry’s former teammate, Matt Barnes, reacted to the comments:

“Let’s take a second right now to have a moment of silence for Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson, who suggested that the WNBA as a whole should have been on the cover of Time Magazine instead of just Caitlin Clark, who graced the cover last week, which is some of the stupidest s**t I’ve ever heard.

“The Twitter community was quick to remind Sheila that a majority of their success as far as attendance came from the Caitlin Clark effect. Over 31% of the Mystics’ entire attendance was in two games that Caitlin’s team played against the Mystics.”

The Washington Mystics hold games at the Entertainment & Sports Arena, which can seat 4,200 fans. When Clark and the Fever were in Washington twice, Sheila Johnson’s team moved games to the Capital One Arena, which can hold 20,356 fans.

In the first Mystics-Fever game in Washington, 20,333 fans watched the home team lose 85-83. The rematch at the Capital One Arena was turned in an even more impressive number. 20,711 fans, a single-game attendance record, saw the Mystics get a 92-91 revenge. The two Mystics-Fever playing dates comprise 31% of the fans who went to Mystics home games.

Per Across the Timeline, Washington had a 6,541.50 average home attendance in 2024. When Clark and Co. played the Mystics on the road, Sheila Johnson’s team averaged a whopping 20,522 attendance. The Mystics did not move to a different location to host games for any other team.

The Mystics weren’t the only team to move to a different venue due to the high demand for Caitlin Clark games. The LA Sparks, Las Vegas Aces and Atlanta Dream also hosted the Indiana Fever at arenas that can hold bigger crowds than their usual home courts.

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Washington Mystics will host Caitlin Clark and Fever at Entertainment & Sports Arena in 2025

Before the 2024 season started, the Washington Mystics announced they will host Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever at the Capital One Arena. Next year, Washington will have all home games at their usual home court, the Entertainment & Sports Arena.

Only Washington’s matchup against the Chicago Sky on July 8 will take place in a different arena. The Sky-Mystics game will be held at the EagleBank Arena to celebrate the Camp Day game.