WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has repeatedly made headlines for her remarks about Caitlin Clark, mostly offering negative commentary on the Indiana Fever rookie.
Her latest comments, where she discussed the Fever but deliberately left out Clark’s name, caught the attention of Stephen A. Smith.
Swoopes, one of the greatest in women’s basketball, was the first player signed to the WNBA.
She is a three-time WNBA MVP, a four-time champion and was honored as one of the league’s Top 15 Players of All Time at the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game.
Stephen A. Smith took issue with Swoopes’ omission of Caitlin Clark’s name during her praise of the Fever on the “Queens of the Court” podcast, where she said:
“I think the Olympic break really helped Indiana. I’m going to shout out Lexi Hull. I’m a big Lexi Hull fan. Lexi Hull shot the leather off the ball in their game against Seattle.
Kelsey Mitchell is just stroking. She’s just shooting the basketball. Aliyah Boston—almost a triple-double! If Indiana continues to play the way they’re playing like this, they too are going to move up in the standings.”
Smith also said that someone of Swoopes’ stature in basketball should not be deliberately hating on up-and-coming players.
“Respectfully, Sheryl Swoopes, do you have any idea how that makes you look? Do you have any idea how that serves to stain any kind of critique of Caitlin Clark? Because that gives fodder to those who believe she’s being hated on and ostracized to some degree,” Smith said.
“You’re insane to do that. Let me tell you why you’re insane to do that. Because, Cheryl Swoopes, you’re one of the greatest players ever in the history of basketball… You know basketball. You know basketball better than me. You know basketball better than any of the pundits.”
Smith argued that intentionally leaving out Clark’s name was outright crazy.
“You know basketball better than most of the men that play basketball. There is no way in hell you just accidentally left Caitlin Clark’s name out of that soliloquy you dropped about the Indiana Fever. Stop it. You know that. Stop it.”
This wasn’t the first time Sheryl Swoopes downplayed Caitlin Clark’s influence on the Fever
In a July 30 episode of her podcast “Queens of the Court,” Swoopes questioned whether Clark’s impact on the Fever was overstated, noting the team’s strong roster.
“Is Indiana in the playoffs right now, without Caitlin?…When you look at the overall team, like the pieces that they have, without question, Indiana has better players than Chicago from top to bottom. No doubt about it,” she said.
According to Basketball Reference, the Fever’s offensive rating is 104.9 with Caitlin Clark on the floor, dropping to 104.1 without her.
Clark is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and a league-leading 8.3 assists this season. She set the single-game record for assists (19) and became the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double.
She also set the record for most assists in a season by a rookie.
With 12 games remaining, the Caitlin Clark-led Fever have strong playoff chances.
They have tallied a 13-15 record, placing them seventh in the league, which is a playoff spot.
Just above them are the 15-14 Phoenix Mercury, featuring stars like Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Kahleah Copper, while below them are the 11-16 Chicago Sky, led by Angel Reese.
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Source: USA Today
