The latest: Swoopes was on Gilbert Arenas’s podcast Gil’s Arena while the former hoops stars talked about Clark’s awesome numbers this season and Swoopes had this to say: “Those are helluva numbers, but to me, that’s not dominating.”
When asked if she was putting up numbers like presumptive MVP A’ja Wilson, Swoopes agreed that would be dominant. And, adding some context, she spoke thoughtfully on the podcast about Clark adjusting after some struggles in the first half of the season.
“I’ve never questioned if Caitlin was a good player. I think she’s a hell of a player,” she said. “I didn’t think she would come in and adjust to being a professional. And to me, I think that’s exactly what she’s done.”
To me, this is splitting hairs. Is Wilson MORE dominant and deserving of the MVP? Sure! No argument there.
But Clark’s numbers are dominant in her rookie year. There’s zero doubt about that and you don’t need to be an expert to say it. To say anything else would belittle what she’s done in Year 1.
Here’s the issue: because it’s Swoopes saying it with all the history of what she’s said about Clark, it’s blowing up. It gets clipped and shared and goes viral and here we are.
Maybe if she had more specific takes on what Clark is missing in her game instead of a generalization like this, it would be better, but no matter what, at this point Swoopes saying anything even remotely critical is going to go viral.
Maybe Swoopes takes a pause on talking about Clark as the playoffs loom, or maybe she just leaves this all out here and continues to say that Clark is good and not DOMINANT.
But the cycle will begin anew, and we’ll be back here again.
To refresh your memory, Swoopes has been taking heat since 2023 over her thoughts regarding Clark breaking her NCAA single tournament scoring record. It didn’t get any better in 2024 when Swoopes made inaccurate comments on a Gilbert Arenas podcast regarding Clark’s pursuit of Kelsey Plum’s NCAA scoring record.
Things got so out of hand over several weeks that fans made “Don’t Be A Sheryl” (and “Be a Sheryl”) shirts, voicing their opinions on the matter. Days later, Swoopes revealed that she apologized to Clark and said Clark’s decision to go to the WNBA was good for basketball.
That was seemingly the end of it, and despite the awkwardness of Swoopes interviewing Clark during a Dallas Wings preseason game, the two were amicable, and that was that — until it wasn’t. Swoopes’ recent comments about Clark and the Indiana Fever have ruffled feathers with fans, turning the whole saga back on.
Here’s everything we know about the Sheryl Swoopes-Caitlin Clark-Nancy Lieberman drama:
Hoops fans become enraged over a perceived Caitlin Clark slight by Sheryl Swoopes
(Annie Rice/USA TODAY Network)
During an August episode of Swoopes’s podcast, Swoopes and her co-host Jordan Robinson discussed how the Olympic break helped the Fever. As the conversation continued, Swoopes did not mention Clark in the list of players she named as reasons why the Fever were playing so well.
That enraged Fever and Clark fans — who were already miffed over Swoopes’s comments during another podcast episode in July. (On the episode, Swoopes made the claim that the Fever would be in the playoffs without Clark because of the stars they have on the roster. But, according to Robinson, many missed the full context of the conversation and the moment Swoopes went on to praise Clark.)
Swoopes’ perceived lack of acknowledgment got the attention of Stephen A. Smith, who traded jabs with Swoopes over her assessment.
Sheryl Swoopes’ lack of recognition for Caitlin Clark during a broadcast fans flames
(Image courtesy of NBA TV)
Things got worse when fans noticed that Swoopes did not say anything about Clark during an Aces-Wings broadcast when she and Napheesa Collier were recognized as Players of the Week. (It’s worth noting that Collier was also not recognized by Swoopes.)
Chatter immediately began gaining traction in hoops circles. Days later, when the Wings played the Fever, Swoopes was not on the broadcast team and was replaced by her colleague, Nancy Lieberman.
Nancy Lieberman pays tribute to Caitlin Clark and what she has done for the WNBA
(Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
Lieberman was on the call as the Fever and Wings played a back-and-forth thriller on September 1. During the game, Lieberman took a moment to share her thoughts about critics of Clark. Here’s what she said:
“When I walked in before the game, there were hundreds of fans lined up. What Caitlin Clark has done for the game is generational, and as a baller to a baller, I just want to say thank you to you … for lifting our game up, you and so many great players.”
“You are going to make all these women multi-millionaires one day — like Tiger did, like Michael Jordan did. We shouldn’t hate on her. We should celebrate her, not tolerate her.”
Lieberman was lauded for praising Clark, but many fans wondered why Swoopes wasn’t there. Swoopes shared that she wasn’t supposed to be.
Sheryl Swoopes reveals the apology message she sent to Caitlin Clark
Despite saying in February that she wouldn’t share what she said to Clark when she apologized, Swoopes reversed course and shared screenshots from their conversation.
It’s unclear why Swoopes revealed the messages. Still, it’s worth noting that Swoopes posted the messages, calling attention to “nice” fans after she received numerous NSFW messages and mentions on social media over Clark.
Nancy Lieberman continues the Caitlin Clark-Sheryl Swoopes discourse with Stephen A. Smith
(Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Fanatics)
The drama between Lieberman and Swoopes continues to boil over and has now circled back to Smith, who had already had beef with Swoopes. Smith invited Lieberman on his podcast to share comments about Clark, Swoopes and other WNBA topics.
Of course, the Clark-Swoopes drama was front and center as Lieberman revealed that she and Swoopes have been at odds after a phone call earlier this year regarding Clark. Lieberman says that during that call, she told Swoopes she could have an opinion on Clark, but “you do have to get the statistics right — I mean, facts matter.”
Lieberman claims that Swoopes was upset with her for suggesting that she apologize and admit she made a mistake. Upon reflection, Lieberman told Smith, “My life’s going to be good or great with or without Sheryl Swoopes in my life — I’d rather have her in it…”
Swoopes claims that Lieberman’s version of events isn’t what happened and that she, too, would be fine without Lieberman.
Swoopes later accused Smith of not talking about Lieberman’s previous comments suggesting that if she were Clark, she would have punched Chennedy Carter in the face over her hip-check foul.
However, it was discussed on the podcast, and Lieberman explained that she had a conversation with Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon about it. This is what she shared with Smith:
“I said Spoon, ‘I didn’t say she should punch Chennedy Carter in her face. I said this is what I would do if I were blindsided…’ But my comment about hitting her wasn’t about her. But we had this conversation, which we apparently cannot have with me and Sheryl Swoopes.”
“And I still think she was incorrect about what she did, and you know, we all have to be professional…but just do your job. Do your job. You get paid to do your job as a broadcaster. Do your job.”
“Nobody said you have to be in love with anybody else, but if you’re gonna do an Indiana-Wings game, you’re gonna have to talk about Caitlin Clark and her great teammates and what they’re doing…”
Sheryl Swoopes refutes Nancy Lieberman’s version of their fallout
(Diannie Chavez/USA TODAY Network)
On September 3, Swoopes joined a space on X (formerly Twitter) and answered several questions from fans, where she revealed that she wasn’t scheduled to say anything during the Clark-Collier Player of the Week segment — that was solely for play-by-play announcer Ron Thulin.
Moreover, Swoopes says the call that Lieberman claims the pair had earlier this year never happened. Here’s what Swoopes shared with listeners:
“What I do know didn’t happen was a phone call from her.”
“Nancy Lieberman decided she was going to be upset that I said it was going to be an adjustment period for Caitlin, Angel — all the rookies — but in particular Caitlin, and that I didn’t think she would come in the league and dominate right away. It’s my opinion. So, she got upset that I said that. So, she decided she was going to go to Twitter…and try to call me out…”
“Don’t say you called me to talk about that when you didn’t. You posted that on Twitter and then I responded to you. I text you and said, ‘Nancy if you have something to say, call me, since we’re supposed to be, quote, friends.'”
Sheryl Swoopes on X/Twitter spaces talking about the issues w/ Stephen A Smith, Caitlin Clark, & Nancy Lieberman… pic.twitter.com/SgtxzVRqSO
Well, the controversy began anew on Tuesday evening during a segment from Swoopes’ broadcast of the Las Vegas Aces and Dallas Wings game.
While her broadcast partner Ron Thulin talked about Clark and Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier taking home WNBA Player of the Week honors, Swoopes went silent after Thulin’s commentary and didn’t discuss either honor before the broadcast went on to discuss the Aces-Wings game.
Sheryl Swoopes goes completely silent for 50 seconds as her co-caster talks about Caitlin Clark winning player of the week pic.twitter.com/CEeoSduczG
That prompted scrutiny that Swoopes was showing her bias against Clark to the point where she allegedly refused to even mention the Fever guard’s accomplishment.
That absolutely feels like an assumption too far, regardless of whatever Swoopes’ personal feelings about Clark really are. While we can’t know for sure exactly why Swoopes didn’t talk about the WNBA Players of the Week, she did share this comment from a fan on her Twitter (X) account about why she may have been silent in the moment. It’s pretty understandable reasoning.
I watched the game live and thought I missed something. What did they expect @airswoopes22 to say or do? The PbP guy was busy talking about the awards & schedule. Sounds like Swoopes did a good job & let him do his job.
Swoopes was fielding lots of hate on her feed over the moment and even mentioned that it’s the angry WNBA fans in her mentions that she understandably has a problem with, not Clark.
The crazy thing is I enjoy her game. It's them I don't like! They are so mean, evil, ugly and disrespectful.
This whole controversy feels a bit exhausted by now, as it’s very possible Swoopes just kept silent during the game broadcast as not to offend fans with any commentary on Clark that could even vaguely be perceived as negative. She’s in a tough spot right now when discussing Clark, good or bad.
It’s better in these situations to take people at their word and just let it go. If Swoopes is willing to come out and say she enjoys Clark’s game and just doesn’t enjoy the negative comments online, let’s just listen to her and move on to something else. That’s a pretty relatable stance to have, to be honest.
The problem doesn’t seem to be between Swoopes and Clark; it seems to just be unnecessary noise coming from Swoopes’ critics.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, affected Houston residents got an assist from the Rockets courtesy of Friday’s storm relief drive.
HOUSTON — As resilient residents of Houston and its surrounding areas continue to stand united in the recovery from Hurricane Beryl, which left homes and properties damaged and millions without power, the Rockets’ organization and its local partners joined forces Friday to provide much-needed support.
“When in need and you have the resources, and you have the ability, then it is your responsibility to give back and make sure that those in need have the support,” said Gretchen Sheirr, president of business operations. “As soon as we realized that (Hurricane) Beryl was going to leave some effects longer than people anticipated, we immediately got together with our wonderful partners.”
Such was the urgency and demand for support that cars began lining up in front of Toyota Center in the early morning hours, well before the scheduled start of the distribution. This was a testament to both the community’s resilience and the need for immediate relief.
The free supplies were provided by the Rockets in collaboration with Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis; the American Red Cross Texas Gulf Coast Region; Pepsi; Reliant Energy; Second Servings of Houston; and Cotton Global Disaster Solutions.
The Houston Rockets, in collaboration with community and local partners, conducted a drive-thru food and water distribution event outside of Toyota Center to provide essential relief items for Houston residents impacted by Hurricane Beryl. #Rockets#Sarge@TheRocketsWirepic.twitter.com/cKRYcKu62C
— BIG SARGE MEDIA LLC (@BigSargeSportz) July 12, 2024
Volunteers from the Rockets teamed up with WNBA legend and former Houston Comets guard Sheryl Swoopes and hip-hop artist Trae tha Truth to distribute boxed lunches, water, fruit, snacks, and other relief items, including charging devices from Reliant.
“It means everything,” Swoopes said. “The city of Houston has done nothing but show me love and the Comets when we were here. Everyone was impacted differently by this hurricane that just came through, and even though this may not seem like a lot to other people, it means everything to me to come back and be a part of this community and be a part of what the Rockets are doing today.”
Giving back to those whose lives were changed by the devastation was emotional for Julian Duncan, chief marketing and strategy officer with the Rockets. Duncan is also a native Houstonian and Rice University graduate, and the relief efforts are personal to him.
“I’m H-Town, and the Rockets are all about Houston, as well,” Duncan said. “What I hope people see is not just an organization doing community service, but the people behind me [volunteers and staff] don’t have power, themselves. They are pushing their inconveniences to the side to help out those who are less fortunate in Houston. We are just all about ‘The H’, and we want to use our platform, our relationships, and partnerships to help out however we can.”
[lawrence-related id=124790,124774]
“It means everything,” said Swoopes about helping individuals in their time of need. “The city of Houston has done nothing but show me love and the (Houston) Comets when we were here. Swoopes helped with the Rockets Hurricane Beryl Relief Event on Friday. #Sarge@TheRocketsWirepic.twitter.com/4ojDzn4fc5
— BIG SARGE MEDIA LLC (@BigSargeSportz) July 12, 2024
Sheryl Swoopes shared glowing thoughts on Caitlin Clark’s decision to enter the WNBA.
Basketball fans are thrilled with the news Caitlin Clark is going to the WNBA. Clark’s news even caught the attention of WNBA great Sheryl Swoopes, who also expressed her excitement Thursday during season-opening Athletes Unlimited games.
Sheryl Swoopes’ name has been flying through news cycles since she made comments weeks ago surrounding Caitlin Clark’s journey to the WNBA and breaking Kelsey Plum’s scoring records. Her comments had several inaccuracies in them and that caused an uproar with fans. Swoopes has since apologized, and on a recent Athletes Unlimited broadcast, she took the time to recognize Caitlin for making the decision to join the WNBA.
Here’s what Swoopes shared with viewers:
“I don’t know who’s more relieved, Caitlin or her fans (or the WNBA), but I mean, great news for the league, great news for women’s basketball. Best of luck. It’s going to be an exciting time wherever she ends up going…
It is not just good for women’s college basketball. It is, to your point, good for women’s basketball in general. And Caitlin has had that effect on the game.”
Caitlin Clark and Sheryl Swoopes may be on better terms after the WNBA legend recently revealed that she apologized to the Iowa star over previous comments she made regarding Clark breaking the NCAA scoring record.
It’s been a whirlwind month regarding the alleged beef between Sheryl Swoopes and Caitlin Clark. Fans have been in a frenzy since Swoopes said that she didn’t think Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark would make an immediate impact in the WNBA and implied that Clark’s previous pace to break Kelsey Plum’s NCAA scoring record was seemingly unimpressive. Those comments ignited hoops fans and even led to the team’s social media account getting involved. Then, things quickly escalated to “Don’t Be a Sheryl” and “Be a Sheryl” shirts flooding the internet. It was A LOT.
However, per Chantel Jennings of The Athletic, Swoopes recently revealed during a Baylor-Texas Tech broadcast that she had a conversation with Angel Reese via phone, and she also reached out to Clark to clear the air.
Sheryl Swoopes said she spoke with Caitlin Clark about her recent comments.
"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… pic.twitter.com/aJg0vWsxZY
“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.”
The Sheryl Swoopes and Caitlin Clark drama is not going away anytime soon. Iowa women’s basketball fans have made shirts aimed at Swoopes and other hoops fans had a lot of thoughts.
Sheryl Swoopes is a Hall of Fame WNBA player. She’s accomplished so much in her career (four WNBA championships, three MVP Awards and six All-Star selections, among other accolades) that she’s considered one of the best to ever do it. Understandably, her thoughts on the game are very different than most people.
“I’m stressed out over here! I’m getting a new pimple!”
Haley Jones is just a California girl with Atlanta dreams. Yet, her vision for her career extends beyond the court and into girls’ lives everywhere.
During her college career at Stanford, Jones was an AP All-American and Pac-12 Co-Player of the Year and also won a national championship. In 2023, she was drafted by the Atlanta Dream, where she thrived and walked away with WNBA All-Rookie Team honors. Now, she’s hoping to build upon her success and share her passion for basketball with other young players.
In celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the WNBA and VOICEINSPORT (VIS) are partnering with the WNBA Changemaker Collective to engage and unlock services to over 50,000 girls via VIS’s platform. Jones and 11 other WNBA players have signed on to become VIS mentors, something she says she wished she had as a young athlete.
“It would have meant a lot because the W was very young when I was growing up, and social media wasn’t as big back then,” she told For The Win in a recent interview. “So, I didn’t have those role models, and I feel like nowadays, kids can connect to us through Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, whatever it may be. It would have meant the world to have that one-on-one connection or feel like you really know your favorite athletes and people who look like you.”
Ahead of the 2024 WNBA season, Jones spoke with For the Win about what she would have changed from her first season in the league, why having new teammate Jordin Canada guard her was annoying, and why it stresses her out to pick just four players to be on her WNBA Mount Rushmore of greats.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
The Iowa women’s basketball social media team came with the Caitlin Clark receipts.
The Iowa Hawkeyes Women’s Basketball social media team rightfully pays attention to what’s being said about Caitlin Clark. So, when WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes recently shared her thoughts about Caitlin Clark’s future in the WNBA and her current college career, it got back to the team.
Sheryl Swoopes has hoops circles in a frenzy after she recently appeared on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast. During the episode, Arenas and Swoopes got into a deeper conversation about current college basketball stars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark and whether their games would translate to the WNBA.
A clip of Sheryl talking about Caitlin Clark went viral. But I see yall tried to bury this one
If ANYBODY else was this loud and wrong with misinformation yall woulda lit this app on fire. But since its about CC yall pretended it didnt happen. Nasty 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/jKvRRIMfF9
In a clip making rounds through social media, Swoopes can be seen explaining why she’s not as impressed with Clark’s journey:
“Kelsey Plum set that record in four years. Well, Caitlin should’ve broke that record in four years. But because there’s a COVID year, and then there’s another year, and – you know what I mean? 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.”
While Swoopes is entitled to her thoughts, many noticed that some were based on inaccurate information. The Iowa women’s basketball social media team found out, and they seemingly dropped a tweet aimed at Swoopes and anyone else with a misconception about Clark.
