When it comes to stirring the pot, Sheryl Swoopes is a name that quickly springs to mind. The WNBA icon has been a frequent source of debate with her comments, especially concerning rookie Caitlin Clark.  From dismissing Clark as merely a passer to ignoring her impact on the Indiana Fever’s success, Swoopes has been a vocal critic of the 2024 draft’s top pick. Interestingly, she has shown a more positive side toward Clark’s rival, Angel Reese, often praising her. Yet, it seems even Reese isn’t immune to Swoopes’ critical eye now.

The Houston Comets star appeared on the appeared on the latest episode of the Gil’s Arena podcast, where Caitlin Clark’s performance came to be a segment of the discussion. While making her case, Swoopes couldn’t help but bring Angel Reese into the conversation. The 4x champion accepts that the Sky rookie has been impressive with her game, but not dominant like she used to be in college. Same went for Clark.

“Everybody wants to compare Caitlin to Angel, which, to me, I hate because they’re two totally different players. Angel Reese was drafted number seven to Chicago, not a lot of expectations. People were like ‘slipped in the draft she slipped in the draft,’ ‘she couldn’t score in college’ all of that. There was no way I thought Angel was going to come into the league and be dominant, which she wasn’t,” said Swoopes.

Drafted as the seventh pick, the Sky forward quickly made waves in the league, setting a new single-season rebound record and becoming a strong contender for Rookie of the Year, going head-to-head with the Fever’s No. 22. She was also making a strong impact with averages of 13.6 points and 1.9 assists per game. However, Swoopes emphasized, “Angel’s game, her offensive game, everybody knows this, has never been [exceptional], it wasn’t even that great in college right. So yes, she has to work on that.”

The rookie did struggle with her shooting and took in a few criticisms as well. Sue Bird believes she has the potential to improve on that as well. So Swoopes makes it clear that Reese has her strong points, calling her one of the best rebounders, but she has room for improvement too. Something she suggests in her view of Caitlin Clark as well.