Sheryl Swoopes wants everyone to slow down with the Caitlin Clark hype, and the WNBA legend spouted blatantly incorrect information to advance her narrative.
Swoopes, a four-time WNBA champion and three-time WNBA MVP, spoke at length about Clark during a recent appearance on the “Gil’s Arena” podcast, which is hosted by former NBA star Gilbert Arenas.
One of the ways in which Swoopes downplayed Clark’s accomplishments is by saying a record should only be considered “legitimate” if the player breaks it in the same amount of time that the previous record holder took to set it.
Clark is on the verge of becoming the all-time leading scorer in Division I women’s college basketball history. The Iowa star needs just 66 points to pass Kelsey Plum, who scored 3,527 points during her career at Washington.
One of the things Swoopes ranted about is that Clark has played longer than Plum played, which is simply not true.
“Kelsey Plum set that record in four years. Well, Caitlin should have broke that record in four years,” Swoopes said. “But because there was a COVID year and another year — you know what I mean? She’s already had an extra year to break that record, so is it truly a broken record?”
Arenas agreed and said the current college game should be “a whole separate entity” because student-athletes have had the option of playing up to six years if they use a redshirt year and use the COVID-19 waiver that was enacted in 2020-21 to play an additional season.
Clark, a senior, can return to Iowa for a fifth year next season if she chooses, but she is currently in her fourth year. Swoopes clearly did not realize that.
Plum scored her record 3,527 points over 139 games in four seasons. Clark has played 123 games and will likely break the record in the next two or three.
That wasn’t the only completely fabricated statistic that Swoopes threw out, either. Swoopes also questioned how Clark’s game will translate to the WNBA because she said Clark will not be able to take 40 shots a game like she does now.
Clark is averaging 22.3 field goal attempts per game this season and 19.7 in her collegiate career.
But wait, there’s more. Swoopes then said it makes sense that Clark dominates the competition because Clark is “a 25-year-old playing against a 20-year-old.”
Clark just turned 22 last month.
Swoopes and Arenas were rightfully torn apart on social media. Even Iowa women’s basketball issued a perfect response by sharing some of Clark’s statistics.
It is truly amazing that Swoopes and Arenas spoke for so long about Clark without even knowing what season she is in. Having an opinion is one thing, but Swoopes just kept pulling incorrect information out of thin air. That was a horrible look.
Clark has had a major impact on women’s college basketball, and attendance numbers are just one example of that.
Swoopes doesn’t have to think Clark is the best player of all time, but the six-time WNBA All-Star should be embarrassed by how unprepared she sounded in the interview.
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