Sheryl Swoopes reveals what she said privately to Caitlin Clark in apology

Sheryl Swoopes and Caitlin Clark.

 

Even the greats of basketball, or any sport, sometimes make mistakes. For Sheryl Swoopes, that happened a couple of weeks ago.

The WNBA legend went on the Gil’s Arena and slightly downplayed Caitlin Clark‘s newly minted NCAAW points record, incorrectly stating that Clark broke Kelsey Plum‘s record with an extra year of eligibility.

 

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Swoopes sounds off: Sheryl Swoopes’ take on Caitlin Clark ignites discussionInstagram

Sheryl Swoopes’ private apology to Caitlin Clark

Not only did Clark do it in four years, she also did it in less games than Plum. After a brief conversation with Angel Reese, Swoopes apologized privately to Clark, and she has now revealed what she said to the Iowa Hawkeyes star.

But I will say, what I said to her was, ‘I made a mistake in saying it was your fifth year when it is your fourth. I have nothing but respect for what she has done for the game. If she wants to share what her response was and how that conversation went, I’ll leave that to her. But it was a really good conversation.

Per The Athletic

Swoopes apologized for the mistake, but it doesn’t seem like she’s backtracking on her comments about Clark’s potential transition to the WNBA. Swoopes had said Clark’s college game won’t immediately translate because she “probably takes about 40 shots a game“, something that’s impossible in the WNBA.

For now, it seems like Clark can put this “feud” in the rearview mirror and focus on the end of her fourth, and likely final, season in college basketball.

Caitlin Clark Embarrasses Sheryl Swoopes after She Doubted her performance records

Caitlin Clark Embarrasses Sheryl Swoopes after She Doubted her performance records.

 

Sheryl Swoopes’ awkward interview with Caitlin Clark that fans didn’t like: I could feel the tension

Caitlin Clark might be one of the most highly-rated athletes across any sport, men or women’s as the WNBA star prepares for her first season of professional basketball, and despite being known for her personality she was a little frosty with Sheryl Swoopes based on their history.

Swoopes, a WNBA legend, previously contested Clark’s NCAA women’s points record, when she surpassed Kelsey Plum with the Iowa Hawkeyes, by asserting that Clark had played an extra season due to Covid-19, but this was incorrect.

The 53-year-old apologized later on with proverbial egg on her face. However, they were thrust into a slightly awkward moment as guess who was conducting the post-game interviews following Clark’s debut with the Indiana Fever?

Clark

The 22-year-old, who was struggling to keep her emotions in check based on the beaming smile that kept threatening to break through, was very kind to Swoopes although she made it clear it was on professional terms by only answering the questions asked.

Of course, as is the trend with modern social media, an incorrect statement about someone will mean you’re branded a “hater” for life as tribalism continues to spiral out of control on the internet and fans were quick to praise Clark for not being petty about something she probably doesn’t care about.

Clark posted 21 points and three rebounds during her WNBA, which is unsurprisingly down on her NCAA numbers but remains very impressive for the preseason-debutant.

What did Swoopes say?

The comments came around Thursday, February 15, 2024, when Clark smashed Kelsey Plum’s scoring record against the Michigan Wolverines at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in an achievement that only felt like a matter of when, not if.

Clark posted an incredible 49 points in the win and claimed the record via a three-pointer as she passed Plum’s score of 3527 points. However, Swoopes contested this by feeling Clark had an extra year in what later transpired to be a lack of knowledge rather than bad intentions.

“If Kelsey Plum set that record in four years, well, Caitlin should’ve broke that record in four years,” Swoopes said back when Clark smashed the record. “But because there’s a COVID year, and then there’s another year, you know what I mean?

“So, she’s already had an extra year to break that record. So, is it truly a broken record? I don’t know. I don’t think so. But yeah, that’ll go in the record books. And, I don’t think it should be.”