Stephen A. Smith, Caitlin Clark, and Sheryl Swoopes

Stephen A. Smith, Caitlin Clark, and Sheryl Swoopes (CREDIT: USA Today)

The Indiana Fever have been exceptional since the WNBA season resumed after the Olympic break. They are 2-0 and have won both games comfortably, which earned them Sheryl Swoopes’ admiration. During a segment on the Queen of the Court podcast, the WNBA icon lauded the Fever stars for their stellar performances. However, she surprisingly did not mention Caitlin Clark, irking Stephen A. Smith.

The analyst called her out on The Stephen A. Smith Show, which did not sit well with the four-time WNBA champion. In a strongly-worded response on X, Swoopes told Smith that she reserved the right to speak or not speak about any player on her podcast. She also accused him of unnecessarily stirring up a controversy, writing,

“You talk about whomever and whatever you want to on your podcast.  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 was seemingly incensed about the analyst calling her “insane” for refusing to mention Clark when analyzing the Fever’s impeccable form since the league resumed last week. On The Stephen A. Smith Show, he said,

“So no Caitlin Clark?  Respectfully, Sheryl Swoopes, do you have any idea how that makes you look? Do you have any idea how that serves to stain any kind of critique of Caitlin Clark? Because that gives fodder to those who believe she’s being hated on and ostracized to some degree. Do you realize, Sheryl Swoopes, that you are insane to me then?”

This wasn’t the first time Swoopes was accused of being biased against the rookie guard. She was also called out for suggesting Chicago Sky center Angel Reese’s debut season was more impressive than Clark’s because the Fever have a better roster. On an episode of the Queen of the Court podcast in July, she said,

“Is Indiana in the playoffs right now, without Caitlin?… When you look at the overall team, like the pieces that they have, without question, Indiana has better players than Chicago from top to bottom. No doubt about it.”

The Fever had the first overall pick in each of the last two WNBA drafts. While Indiana added Clark with the top pick this year, the Sky drafted Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese with the third and seventh overall picks.

Neither team is exponentially better than the other, prompting fans to accuse Swoopes of downplaying the guard’s impact by suggesting that the Fever had a strong roster. The Hall of Famer hasn’t addressed the accusations and has now added fuel to the fire by snubbing Clark while discussing Indiana’s impeccable form.