For her seeming refusal to do commentary for Caitlin Clark the Indiana Fever, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has been on the receiving end of criticisms over the last week. Stephen A. Smith has been one of the sports personalities who are notably vocal about Swoopes.
Smith took issue with Swoopes seemingly refusing to acknowledge Clark’s efforts in helping the Fever rise in the WNBA standings after she only praised Lexie Hull, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston in her “Queens of the Court” podcast. The outspoken ESPN analyst called out the three-time WNBA MVP for failing to mention the rookie guard’s accomplishments for Indiana this season.
“You know basketball,” Smith said to Swoopes on “The Stephen A. Smith Show.” “There is no way in hell you just accidentally left Caitlin Clark’s name out of that soliloquy you dropped about the Indiana Fever.”
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Swoopes was quick to refute Smith’s take on X.
“You talk about whomever and whatever you want to on your podcast. Correct? So why can’t I?” Swoopes clapped back. “Also, did you listen to the ENTIRE episode? NOPE! I have a personal relationship with these players and they deserve recognition as well.”
She even called Smith a “coward” in another post on X.
“Not sure what he thought he was doing? He still in his feelings about MM [Monica McNutt] putting him in his place. I’m ready to go on his show!! Coward,” the former Houston Comet said.
Taking issue with Swoopes’ most recent social media post, Smith called Swoopes out one more time on Monday.
“Sheryl Swoopes engages in levels of immaturity, there’s no way to slice it,” Smith said. “All I’m going to say is, it was pretty damn immature to come back at me like that.”
Sheryl Swoopes ‘has no beef’ with Caitlin Clark, leaks texts to show proof
In response to all the backlash she received for not covering Caitlin Clark in her commentary, Sheryl Swoopes took to X and posted a quote that summed up her feelings.
Quoting the late Maya Angelou, Swoopes posted, “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise.”
In the same thread, the WNBA legend shared screenshots of her text messages with Clark in February as she attempted to clear things out with the rookie in terms of her misinterpreting her college stats.
The screenshots see Clark thanking Swoopes for her contributions to women’s basketball and saying there’s no need to worry when it comes to the mistakes in her coverage. However, the rookie has yet to confirm if the text conversation actually happened.
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