WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes came under fire when fellow WNBA veteran Nancy Lieberman and sports personality Stephen A. Smith spoke about Swoopes being pulled from her broadcasting duties. While Swoopes was reportedly set to commentate an Indiana Fever game last week, Bally Sports allegedly removed her out of fear that she was biased against Caitlin Clark.

The allegations were raised by Stephen A. Smith, with Nancy Lieberman backing up the claim. Lieberman explained that after Swoopes was pulled from her broadcasting duties, she was chosen to fill in on the broadcast.

In addition, Lieberman said her relationship with Swoopes is pretty much nonexistent after she called out the WNBA legend for getting her facts wrong earlier in the year.

At the time, Swoopes claimed Clark took an extra year in college to break the NCAA scoring record while overstating her shot attempts per game. Lieberman explained that she told Swoopes she was entitled to her own opinion on the young standout, but she had to make sure she got her facts right. According to Lieberman, the conversation caused a rift between the two. However, Swoopes stated that the pair never talked things out. During a Spaces this week, Swoopes said:

“Nancy Lieberman decided she was going to be upset that I said it was going to be an adjustment period for Caitlin, Angel, all the rookies. So she got upset that I said that. So she decided she was going to go to Twitter.”

 

“Don’t say you called me to talk about that when you didn’t. You posted that on Twitter. And then I responded to you, texted you, and said, ‘Nancy, if you have something to say, call me, since we’re supposed to be, quote, friends.”

Looking at the origins of the Sheryl Swoopes-Caitlin Clark controversy:

In early 2023, Sheryl Swoopes caught the attention of basketball fans when she reacted to Caitlin Clark breaking her NCAA March Madness scoring record. At the time, Swoopes explained that she set the scoring record in five games because her team had a first-round bye.

 

She then pointed out that Clark broke her record in six games. However, she dubbed Clark a “baller,” giving the Iowa star credit for setting the March Madness record. Swoopes then appeared on Gil’s Arena in early 2024, where she sparked controversy with comments about Clark’s all-time scoring record.

She said Clark took a fifth year in college to break the record, claiming that because she was older than the other players, she should be better. The podcast appearance also saw Swoopes allege Clark took 40 shots a game as well, another factual error.

Nancy Lieberman then corrected Sheryl Swoopes, saying Clark only spent four years in college and took less than 20 shots a game. Lieberman recalled this moment as a key source of their fractured friendship, given that she told Swoopes she needed to get her facts straight.

 

In the wake of the situation, Sheryl Swoopes reportedly texted Caitlin Clark behind the scenes, apologizing for the error. Shortly after, however, Swoopes went back on Gil’s Arena to criticize Clark’s play style. She then excluded Clark when discussing Indiana Fever players who have fueled the team’s post-Olympic run.

 

With the Fever likely to make the WNBA Playoffs this year, it’s unclear whether Sheryl Swoopes will be handling broadcasting duties, or if Nancy Lieberman will be tasked with filling in.