Sheryl Swoopes’ lack of love for Caitlin Clark and her refusal to praise the rookie led to a barrage of criticism on social media. However, she has found an ally in Angel Reese, who claims she has experienced the same vitriol on social media as the Hall of Famer.
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On the latest episode of the Unapologetically Angel podcast, the Chicago Sky center revealed she reached out to Swoopes and extended her support to the four-time WNBA champion. She said,
“I texted her yesterday, I was like, ‘You know you that, you know you are a legend. Your resume speak for itself, you ain’t gonna speak on nothing.’ And I did see her getting out of character on social media for a couple days. I am like, ‘You know you don’t even need to pop it like that.’”
Angel giving her flowers to Sheryl Swoopes 💐
Watch full episode here: https://t.co/PRkTaOQ3PO pic.twitter.com/dojV9o15Ns
— Unapologetically Angel (@angelreeseshow) September 10, 2024
Reese also praised Swoopes for fighting back on social media and hailed the 53-year-old as a source of inspiration. The Sky forward also revealed that the women’s basketball icon might make a guest appearance on her podcast, saying,
“She’s a legend and somebody I have always looked up to. She gonna keep it real with you. We’re going to have her on the podcast soon.”
The Hall of Famer will find Reese’s support comforting after being chastised relentlessly on social media. The Sky star is no stranger to receiving criticism from Clark’s fans. On the debut episode of her podcast, she said,
“Caitlin is an amazing player and I’ve always thought she was an amazing player… Her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans — that are, like, they ride for her and I respect that, respectfully, but sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it and I don’t believe she stands on any of that.”
However, unlike Reese, Swoopes was not only called out by fans for her apparent disdain for the Fever star. Analyst Stephen A. Smith and fellow basketball icon Nancy Lieberman also criticized her for her comments about the rookie.
She revealed that after the duo flamed her on The Stephen A. Smith Show, she received a threat from a fan on her phone. In a since-deleted post on X, the four-time NBA champion wrote,
“[Stephen A. Smith], [Nancy Lieberman] this guy just called me and threatened me. Not sure how he got my number. But this what y’all wanna do? His number is 813.679.7695.”
Swoopes has been vocal, and completely mum at an inopportune time, when expressing her opinion about the Indiana Fever sensation. However, she has largely either doubted her ability or downplayed her impact. Fans haven’t taken kindly to the Hall of Famer’s inability to laud Clark and have been constantly attacking her for it on social media.
To her credit, Clark hasn’t stirred the pot further by commenting on the situation. She has showcased the same poise in her rivalry with Reese. While the rookie has been busy creating history on the court, Swoopes and the Fever star have been busy fending off her fans.
