In case an introduction for Sheryl Swoopes is needed, she’s a four-time WNBA champion, three-time MVP, three-time Defensive Player of the Year, six-time All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2016. She played in the WNBA throughout the early 2000s, most notably with the Houston Comets, and is considered one of the best to ever play.
Swoopes earned her respect years ago. But recent comments on Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark now have some questioning Swoopes.
Nearly inarguably, Clark is a legend in the making, if she’s not one already. She answered one of the only questions left when she broke the all-time scoring record in collegiate basketball.
However, before Clark cementing herself in NCAA history, Swoopes made her doubts known of the Iowa sensation.
Here’s everything you need to know about the drama between Swoopes and Clark.
MORE: Tracking Caitlin Clark’s path to become Division I’s all-time scoring leader
Sheryl Swoopes comments on Caitlin Clark’s scoring record
On “Gil’s Arena,” Swoopes said she doesn’t think Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese will transition to the pro game immediately. She mentioned that with limited roster spots, current WNBA players will fight to hang onto their jobs, and it’s difficult for rookies to come in and dominate like they do in college.
Sheryl Swoopes says the WNBA will NOT be an easy transition for Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/R3WN36yDop
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) January 31, 2024
“Will Caitlin Clark be a good pro? Absolutely,” Swoopes said. “Will Caitlin Clark come into the WNBA and do what she’s doing right now immediately? Absolutely not. Not going to happen.”
What really got fans going was what Swoopes had to say about Clark’s scoring record. At the time, the Hawkeye was nearing Kelsey Plum’s all-time scoring record of 3,527, ultimately breaking it on Feb. 16. Now, she is chasing after Pete Maravich for the NCAA basketball record.
“If Kelsey Plum set that record in four years, well, Caitlin should’ve broke that record in four years,” Swoopes said. “But because there’s a COVID year, and then there’s another year, you know what I mean? So she’s already had an extra year to break that record. So, is it truly a broken record? I don’t know. I don’t think so. But yeah, that’ll go in the record books. And, I don’t think it should be.”
The WNBA legend inaccurately said that Clark has spent more time in college basketball than Plum, using her COVID year of eligibility. In reality, Clark is in her fourth season, the same amount of time it took Plum to break the record.
MORE: The ‘wow’ moment: When coaches, media knew Caitlin Clark was different
After Clark broke the record, Swoopes addressed her comments made about the Iowa senior. She admitted that she “made a mistake” by referencing Clark as a fifth-year player and stated that the two had a conversation. However, she failed to get into the specifics of that talk.
“A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to (Reese) and had a really good conversation with Angel over the phone and sent a message to Caitlin,” Swoopes said during Sunday’s Baylor-Texas Tech broadcast. “She responded. She and I went back and forth. I won’t share what she said, I’ll leave that to her if she wants to share. But I will say, what I said to her was, ‘I made a mistake in saying it was your fifth year when it is your fourth.’
“I have nothing but respect for what she has done for the game. If she wants to share what her response was and how that conversation went, I’ll leave that to her. But it was a really good conversation.”
Iowa fans troll Sheryl Swoopes
Iowa social media quickly clapped back at the misinformation from Swoopes, but it didn’t stop there.
Hawkeye fans took it upon themselves to troll Swoopes with “Don’t be a Sheryl” t-shirts at the Penn State game.
Don’t be a Sheryl. pic.twitter.com/iVXkuxJa5P
— 🐤 Hawkeye Hunz (@HawkeyeHunz) February 9, 2024
The shirts garnered a wide mix of reactions from WNBA players and fans. Some found them disrespectful to one of the greatest players ever while some found the trolling funny and representative of the college game.
After her comments on January’s podcast, Swoopes clarified on social media she was expressing her opinion about the WNBA game and meant no disrespect towards Reese or Clark.
