WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has received scrutiny from the women’s basketball community, part of which has come from ESPN, regarding her recent take on Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.

Swoopes shared a few points on her “Queens of the Court” podcast, mentioning that Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is the Rookie of the Year over Clark. She also told fans that the Fever would be a playoff team with or without Clark, and the rookie isn’t the best player on Indiana’s roster.

The former WNBA star believes Clark has not exceeded expectations since she came into the league as a highly anticipated prospect.

“I think Caitlin [Clark] has done, I think, exactly what was expected of her with Indiana. The reason why they drafted her. What the expectations were, and I think she’s done just that,” Swoopes said.

Clark was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, which hints at the Fever having trouble reaching the postseason in years past, but Swoopes thinks the Fever would be in a position to make the playoffs with or without the talented rookie.

“Is Indiana in the playoffs right now, without Caitlin,” Swoopes asked. “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.”

ESPN sports anchor Elle Duncan replied to Swoopes’ take on Thursday, sharing her opinion on what she’s calling “Caitlin Clark hatred.”

Duncan thinks Swoopes has crossed the line, saying she’s off-par in describing the Fever as a playoff team without Clark.

“Someone did take a loss in the basketball world this week,” said Duncan. “I love her, but she’s wrong here. Sheryl Swoopes, former WNBA player, we all know that. Current host of ‘Queen of the Court’ podcast… It just feels like there is something there, and I’m not really sure what is not connecting with Sheryl and why… This feels really, really, really off-par. This doesn’t feel right at all, and it is starting to feel a little bit like hate from Sheryl.”

Team WNBA forward Angel Reese (5) passes the ball to Team WNBA guard Caitlin Clark (22) during the first half against the USA Women’s National Team at Footprint Center.

The rookie out of Iowa is currently averaging 17.1 points and 8.2 assists per game. She leads all rookies in both categories while being No. 1 in the WNBA in terms of average assists.

Clark and Reese are the only rookies to make the 2024 WNBA All-Star team, where Clark was a starter alongside veterans DeWanna Bonner, Nneka Ogwumike, Arike Ogunbowale, and Jonquel Jones.

While she’s struggled with efficiency and a high turnover rate, currently shooting 32.7% from three and 40.5% from the field while averaging 5.6 turnovers per game, the rookie has had a phenomenal season.

As Duncan explained, Swoopes’ opinion may just come down to hatred against Clark.