Collegiate and WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has managed to inflame the passions of a nation of Caitlin Clark fans yet again.
The record-breaking Swoopes, who graduated from Texas Tech and dominated an era in the 1990s and early 2000s, claimed that Clark’s rookie numbers are impressive but far from making her a dominant player in the WNBA
The 53-year-old Hall of Famer made the dubious statements on her second visit to “Gil’s Arena,” hosted by former NBA star Gilbert Arenas.
Not only did Swoopes say Clark’s numbers were not dominant, but she also boldly stated that Clark’s archrival Angel Reese deserves Rookie of the Year more than Clark. This has caused an avalanche of hate and mean-spirited comments to fall upon Swoopes’ brow in the last 24 hours.
Fans vehemently disagree with Swoopes’ assessment of Clark
After Clark and the Indiana Fever started the season 1-8, Swoopes said she found Caitlin’s post-All-Star break improvement impressive — but only to a certain extent.
“Those are [impressive] numbers,” Swoopes said, in regards to what Clark has accomplished. However, she added, “But to me that’s not dominating.”
Elaborating, Swoopes said, “People were like, ‘Oh my God, you said she wouldn’t be good,’ but I didn’t say she wouldn’t be good,” Swoopes added, then said: “What I said was I didn’t think Caitlin, or Angel, would come into the league and dominate immediately, which I don’t think either of them did. … I still don’t think [Clark’s] dominating, but she’s a different player than she was in the first half of the season.”
A multitude of Clark fans were already irate that Swoopes wrongly stated that Clark broke the all-time college scoring record in five years instead of four, which eclipsed current star Kelsey Plum’s record.
Fans and media compare the numbers
Some fans and pundits compared Swoopes’ best years, numbers-wise to Clark’s rookie campaign:
Clark boasts a 19.5-point average, a WNBA-leading 8.4 assists a game, and 5.7 rebounds per game this season.
Comparatively, Swoopes averaged 15.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in her 324-game career. Her best season came in 2000, when she averaged 20.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists and was named MVP for the first of three times in her career.
Moreover, Clark has already set the single-season rookie scoring record while also becoming the first rookie to ever record a triple-double. We also can’t forget that she’s already recorded the most double-doubles by a guard in league history.
