The back and forth with Sheryl Swoopes and Nancy Lieberman continued with a disputed phone call now at the center of their dispute.
Who would have thought one of the biggest feuds in sports media this year would be between two analysts of the same team? The back and forth between women’s basketball legends, and Dallas Wings analysts, Sheryl Swoopes and Nancy Lieberman continued into a second day with Swoopes firing back at Lieberman after the latter’s appearance on Stephen A. Smith’s podcast.
In an interview with Smith, Lieberman said she called Swoopes earlier this year regarding her statements about Caitlin Clark’s scoring records that weren’t accurate. Lieberman claimed Swoopes got upset with her about the call and then the pair had a falling out. Even though the two work for the same team, Lieberman said “our relationship pretty much is not happening at this point.”
Well, Swoopes opened up about Lieberman and other stories that have emerged in recent days regarding her association with Caitlin Clark in a Twitter spaces on Tuesday. She also spoke about her absence from the Fever-Wings telecast worked by Lieberman that was in the news over the weekend.
Sheryl Swoopes on X/Twitter spaces talking about the issues w/ Stephen A Smith, Caitlin Clark, & Nancy Lieberman… pic.twitter.com/SgtxzVRqSO
— Van (@vanman_1000)
September 3, 2024
“Let me clear up a couple of things,” Swoopes said. “I was only contracted to do seven games for the Dallas Wings, so everyone thinks that I was replaced for doing the Indiana Fever game when the reality is last week I told a producer that I could not do the Indiana Fever game because of a prior commitment. But also, because there’s nothing that I can say that’s going to be right. As a commentator and analyst, I gotta be able to speak postiive, good things but I’ve also got to be able to critique because I do that to everybody.”
While many were quick to rush to judgment thinking Swoopes was “pulled” from the game, in reality the Wings have used three analysts (Swoopes, Lieberman, and Fran Harris) rotating throughout the season. So Swoopes only being contracted to do seven games and having a prior commitment for the Fever contest makes total sense. However, she also presents here that she views calling a Fever game a no-win situation for her personally and professionally, so don’t expect to see her in the booth when the two teams meet again in a couple weeks.
Swoopes also mentioned a viral clip of her going silent while Clark and Napheesa Collier were highlighted on a recent broadcast. The WNBA legend said it wasn’t her her segment as play-by-play announcer Ron Thulin was describing the award winners and that had she been asked a question, she would have been happy to analyze the players.
Finally, Swoopes addressed Lieberman, saying that she never got a phone call from her over Clark, contradicting what Lieberman told Stephen A. Smith. In fact, Swoopes said she reached out via text to Lieberman after seeing a post made on Twitter.
“What I do know didn’t happen was a phone call from her. Nancy Lieberman decided she was going to be upset that I said it was going to be an adjustment period for Caitlin, Angel, all the rookies, but in particular Caitlin, and that I didn’t think she would come in the league and dominate right away. It’s my opinion. So she got upset that I said that. So she decided she was going to go to Twitter, which is what people do, she was going to go to Twitter and try to call me out.”
“Don’t say you called me to talk about that when you didn’t. You posted that on Twitter and then I responded to you. I texted you and said, ‘Nancy if you have something to say call me since we’re supposed to be, quote’, friends.’”
Forget hearing Swoopes call a Caitlin Clark game and the headlines that could come from that. I think what we really want to see at this point is the fireworks that would happen if Swoopes and Lieberman would call any Dallas Wings game together.
