Sheryl Swoopes Justifies Caitlin Clark Decision After Stephen A. Smith's Insult

Sheryl Swoopes has made her feelings for Caitlin Clark well-known over the course of the 2024 WNBA season, and it continued again this past week.

In a recent episode of her podcast " Queens of the Court ," Swoopes discussed the improvement of the Indiana Fever, but did not give any of the credit to Clark. Instead, she praised Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull. Although these players undoubtedly deserve credit, Clark does too.

On Friday, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith called out Swoopes, accusing her of disrespecting the former Iowa Hawkeyes star.

"Do you realize, Sheryl Swoopes, that you're insane to do that?" Smith said.

Swoopes didn't take kindly to Smith's insult and fired back on social media, defending her decision not to mention Clark.

"You talk about whomever and whatever you want to on your podcast," Swoopes wrote. "Correct? So why can't I? Also, did you listen to the ENTIRE episode? NOPE! I have a personal relationship with these players and they deserve recognition as well."

Swoopes has refused to give Clark credit previously, as well. In July, the former Houston Comets star said that the Fever would be in the playoffs even without Clark because of the other stars they have. Well, Indiana had these same stars last season and was the worst team in the league, leading to the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Clark has come in and has put the Fever in playoff position. If the season ended today, they would have the seventh seed in the WNBA playoffs with a 13-15 record.

In 35.2 minutes per game, Clark is averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and a league-leading 8.3 assists per game. She has also broken many records, including the single-game assist record and the first-ever WNBA rookie to record a triple-double.

Swoopes won four consecutive WNBA championships with the Comets from 1997-2000. She is also a three-time WNBA MVP award winner.

Related: Atlanta Dream Make Big Announcement About Upcoming Game vs. Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

Related: Indiana Fever Coach Shares Her Unfiltered Thoughts on Aliyah Boston