Sheryl Swoopes vs Caitlin Clark Timeline: How Did it Start and Who Said What

Caitlin Clark is inarguably the most polarizing figure in women’s basketball. Most believe she’s solely responsible for the unprecedented spike in interest in women’s basketball. However, that has seemingly rubbed some people, including Sheryl Swoopes, the wrong way.

The Hall of Famer, for reasons unknown, isn’t a fan of the Fever star. On the contrary, she actively tried to downplay one of her biggest achievements. During an appearance on the Gil’s Arena podcast in February, Swoopes claimed that Clark breaking Pete Maravich’s NCAA points record wasn’t impressive as it took her five years to do it.

She also claimed that the guard was playing against teenagers in her mid-20s. However, both claims were factually incorrect and she had to walk back on them. The former WNBA superstar reached out to the guard and admitted she made a mistake. The 22-year-old star graciously took it in stride.

Swoopes then found herself in hot waters after she refused to praise or even talk about Clark for nearly a minute during a live broadcast.  While play-by-play commentator Ron Thulin raved about the Fever star, the four-time NBA champion remained silent.

Swoopes then stirred more controversy when she showcased her support for Chicago Sky’s Diamond DeShields. The guard was being flamed on social media for committing a flagrant foul on Clark during her team’s blowout loss to the Fever. The Hall of Famer posted words of encouragement for the Sky star on X, leaving fans perplexed.

Swoopes absence from commentary during Clark and the Fever’s trip to Dallas to take on the Wings raised more questions. Stephen A. Smith claimed the production team took her off the broadcast to avoid another controversy and slammed the Hall of Famer in a rant on his podcast. He said,

“After that, Sheryl Swoopes engages in levels of immaturity. There’s no way to slice it… All I’m gonna say is, it was pretty darn immature to come back at me like that. Calling me an effing coward because I called you out for not doing your job.”

Women’s basketball icon Nancy Lieberman appeared on The Stephen A. Smith Show and revealed she scolded Swoopes for downplaying Clark’s NCAA scoring record, saying,

“There was this quote by Sheryl that said Caitlin was 25 years old, she was a fifth-year senior, she was taking 40 shots a game and her records were illegitimate. I got off the treadmill and called her as a friend, and I said you can have your own opinion on anybody but you do have to get the statistics right.”

The four-time WNBA champion responded by cutting communication with Lieberman, seemingly ending their friendship that dates back to 1992. Swoopes did not address the comments and instead shared a post with a quote from her former friend.

The Hall of Famer then called out Smith and Lieberman and claimed their criticism led to a fan calling her on her private phone number and threatening her. Throughout this seven-month saga, Clark hasn’t addressed it. Yet, the situation continues to escalate.