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The narrative that veterans of the WNBA envy rookie sensation Caitlin Clark has been greatly overblown. But there is one retired WNBA icon whose hate for the Indiana Fever star is very real. Sheryl Swoopes proved it with her latest claim about Clark and her rivalry with Angel Reese.
Swoopes calls Caitlin Clark a bully
The fallout from the Indiana Fever's 91-83 win over the Chicago Sky was the hot topic on Gilbert Arenas' Gil's Arena show on Monday. Reese's flagrant foul on Clark for hitting her in the head, which both players dismissed as a "basketball play," led the former NBA star to make some comments that Swoopes didn't appreciate on the show.
"With Angel, she's rugged. She's a rugged girl. She's built for trying to bully," Arenas said. "No one feels sorry for the bully."
Swoopes proved that Arenas was correct, because she claimed Clark is more of a bully than Reese on the court, and felt zero sympathy for the No. 1 draft pick. In response to Reese's foul and the resulting coverage, she said, "We can't make it seem like she was assaulted." Swoopes also stated she does not think the Chi Town Barbie is a bully at all.
Sheryl Swoopes history of beef with Caitlin Clark
A three-time WNBA MVP and four-time WNBA Champion, Swoopes has had it out for Caitlin Clark before. She challenged the validity of Clark's NCAA scoring record she set last season with Iowa. Ironically, it took Reese playing intermediary for them to squash that beef.
However, she continued to follow Clark with questions in the WNBA. She claimed on Gil's Arena before the draft that Clark would "absolutely not" continue her elite production right away in the pros. Clark's boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, had to defend her on social media from the hate.
When the No. 1 pick scored 21 points in her preseason debut, Swoopes gave a tense interview with Clark on TV after the game, reminding her several times that she lost.
Obviously, Swoopes has a well-documented stance on Caitlin Clark. But as the rookie continues to improve, the Houston Comets legend is standing on thinner and thinner ground with her criticism.