Sheryl Swoopes recently reached out to Caitlin Clark, acknowledging and owning up to her mistake regarding her comments about the acclaimed scorer in women’s college basketball history.
The entire controversy stemmed from a conversation on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast ‘Gil’s Arena,’ where Swoopes expressed her opinion that both Clark and Angel Reese might need time to transition to the WNBA. Despite any disagreements with her viewpoint, it’s worth noting that the four-time WNBA champion wasn’t attempting to discredit either athlete.
However, the crux of the backlash arose from Swoopes’ assertion that Clark’s scoring record shouldn’t count because she allegedly played five years, whereas Kelsey Plum played four. In reality, Clark is a fourth-year senior, making Swoopes’ statement incorrect. Clips of her erroneous opinion quickly went viral.
What many may not have seen from those clips is that Josiah Johnson, co-host and executive producer of Gil’s Arena, corrected the record by confirming that this is Clark’s fourth year at Iowa. Arenas agreed, indicating that stats from next year shouldn’t factor in, to which Swoopes concurred.
Despite these clarifications, Swoopes faced significant criticism for her initial comments, rightfully so. However, she’s willing to acknowledge her blunder and has taken steps to make amends.
During ESPN’s broadcast of a game between Baylor and Texas Tech, Swoopes disclosed that she had spoken with both Reese and Clark after the incident. She admitted her mistake in miscounting Clark’s years and expressed her respect for Clark’s contributions to the game. While she didn’t disclose the specifics of her conversation with Clark, she emphasized that it was a positive exchange.
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“A couple of weeks ago, I reached out to (LSU’s Angel Reese) and had a really good conversation with Angel over the phone and sent a message to Caitlin. She responded. She and I went back and forth. I won’t share what she said, I’ll leave that to her if she wants to share. 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,” Via The Athletic.
It seems that tensions have eased to some extent following their conversation, though some may continue to inject racial dynamics into the discussion, despite Swoopes’ accountability.
Ultimately, while Swoopes’ opinion on Clark’s WNBA potential remains valid, her error regarding Clark’s scoring record was acknowledged and rectified, demonstrating accountability and willingness to learn from mistakes.
