Sheryl Swoopes shows allegiances as Paige Bueckers joins Caitlin Clark in WNBA
Basketball icon Sheryl Swoopes has gained a title of
'Caitlin Clark
hater' among fans since the Iowa standout entered the professional scene, drawing ire again for her comments on a recent podcast.
Critics jumped on Swoopes for incorrectly stating on air that Clark played five seasons with Iowa before becoming the top pick by Indiana Fever in the 2024
WNBA
Draft and saying she wasn't exactly "dominating" in the league. Notably, Clark bagged the WNBA Rookie of the Year award,
leading to a backtrack from Swoopes
who eventually offered an apology and
even pegged the Fever as possible champs in 2025.
Yet, Swoopes stirred the pot again, this time with Clark's followers, for sporting a
Paige Bueckers
tee on the 'Gils Arena' podcast.
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Having been drafted first overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft,
Bueckers heads to the Dallas Wings fresh from nabbing a national championship in college.
And with Swoopes showcasing support for the UConn prodigy, echoes of last year's omitted accolades for Clark have resurfaced amongst her supporters.
"Sheryl Swoopes is a Generational Hater. Like she really hates Caitlin Clark," vented one fan online. "This is just hilarious, it just feels petty now. She needs to move on, we have," chimed in another.
"We should just turn it around and start talking about how Paige is gonna be better than Swoopes ever was," quipped one enthusiastic fan. While some of Clark's supporters reckon Swoopes harbors a biased view against the Fever ace, the iconic WNBA figure sought to dispel such notions in the previous season.
After making an error with Clark's stats before the 2024 WNBA Draft, Swoopes reached out with an apology, and the top draft pick responded by calling her "inspiring" to everyone in the league. "Hey Caitlin! I wanted to personally reach out to you and say I made a mistake on what year this is for you," Swoopes conveyed in a heartfelt message to Clark.
Paige Bueckers will join Caitlin Clark in the WNBA
(Image: Getty Images)
"I also have nothing but respect for you and your game and appreciate your skill. Congrats on everything you have accomplished thus far. Be blessed."
On the 'Unapologetically Angel' podcast hosted by Angel Reese, Swoopes poured more accolades on Clark. 'I'm going to give Caitlin Clark her flowers,' declared Swoopes.
"Yes, I said that... I'm going to give Caitlin her flowers because I think what she has done coming into this league absolutely has brought more eyes, whether you like them or not. But has brought more eyes, more marketing. Like people just want to watch the game, and they want to talk about it."
In her conversation with ESPN before the 2025 WNBA season kicked off, Swoopes again praised Indiana as a championship threat after lauding the front office's strategy of building the team around Clark.
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"The team that I feel made the biggest moves, maybe the best moves, that would be the Indiana Fever," declared basketball icon Sheryl Swoopes. "I think the Indiana Fever went from just being in the playoffs last season to potentially winning a championship."
Swoopes highlighted the team's top-notch additions: "You add the OG DeWanna Bonner, who plays both ends of the floor and is a competitor, and Natasha Howard, who is another OG, who is going to bring the defensive presence. And then you're bringing back Aliyah
Boston
, who continues to get better every single year."
She couldn't hide her enthusiasm for Kelsey Mitchell's scoring prowess and Caitlin Clark's off-season progress: "Can we talk about Kelsey Mitchell, who is just a walking bucket? How much stronger Caitlin got in the offseason, you know she was in the gym working on her game. This Indiana Fever team, they have put the pieces together in this offseason, and I'm excited to see what they're going to do."
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