Sheryl Swoopes has often found herself in hot waters with Caitlin Clark fans when it comes to her remark over the Fever rookie. She has been factually incorrect, she has ignored, and she has been critical concerning Clark’s performance. But Swoopes has also justified and showcased her appreciation. Regardless, the former of the sentiments has been set to overshadow the 4x champion’s opinions, eventually drawing heat — pretty evident from her recent post.

Sheryl Swoopes made waves this past week by backing Diamond DeShields, who faced backlash following a game against the Indiana Fever. The controversy stemmed from a shoulder push by DeShields toward Caitlin Clark, which stirred up a heated debate. Adding to the drama, a photo emerged showing DeShields smiling at Clark on the court, thus dividing opinions.

Amidst the controversy, Swoopes tweeted, “@diamonddoesit head up kid! Hate will not win!! You are covered and ain’t nothing these evil people can do about that. All love for you!” However, her support for DeShields didn’t go as smoothly as intended. Critics argue that Swoopes’ public endorsement seemed more like a hidden agenda rather than genuine support.

While the legend ignored all those allegations, she later found herself getting involved in a conversation with some Clark fans over her X account. Swoopes replied to a fan and wrote, “Please know that I do not dislike or hate her. I like her game too. It’s all of the ugly fans that I don’t care for. Thank you”. But it didn’t end there as another user chimed in, acknowledging that while Swoopes might not deserve all the backlash she’s received for her critiques of Clark, but she still owes a genuine apology.

And soon after, Swoopes replied with a couple of screenshots from February which saw her apologizing and appreciating Clark. With those pictures, she wrote, “Here you go! This is from February.”

The former WNBA star likely hoped that sharing those old messages would clear the air and show she had no personal vendetta against Caitlin Clark. However, her attempt to prove she already apologized to the rookie has only intensified the backlash from Clark’s supporters.

Swoopes’ Apology Falls Flat as Fans Criticize Continued Dismissal of Caitlin Clark’s Rookie Impact

While Swoopes did reach out to Clark and has appreciated the rookie player, that conversation dates back to February when the rookie didn’t even appear on the WNBA scene. Swoopes has had a few more things to say and some to ignore since then – like foregoing her name when discussing Indiana Fever’s growth as well as the assists record she broke.

Reminiscent of more such instances, a fan penned, “apologized in february, than proceeded to sneak diss caitlin and try and downplay her rookie season? you can stay on that side sheryl, the one sided beef is INSANE.” 

Then giving her take on the Rookie of the Year race in July, Swoopes opined that Sky wouldn’t make the playoffs without Angel Reese but Fever would without Clark. The Iowa star was already leading the rookie class in scores and assists by then. Now, she is the second lead scorer for Fever with an 18.7 average and the league leader in assists at 8.4. She has also recorded the most 3 PM by a Fever rookie, single-game assists, become the first in the franchise and league to post a triple-double and countless more.

With it all, Swoopes’s remark did not sit right with the spectators and potentially demand a correction. “You reached out to her back in February which cool but then you continued your hate towards her afterwards which makes this apology useless and make you look even worse ma’am,” one remarked. With a similar opinion, another user called Swoopes weirdo and wrote, “This is weirdo behavior and just makes you look worse tbh”

As Swoopes was called out for having a hidden agenda against Clark, another user felt that sharing the old conversation was just an attempt at damage control from the WNBA legend. The user wrote, “Damage control at an all time high. A February apology but still being an angry and bitter hater in the fall. You can’t make this up.”

Swoopes has even stated that Caitlin Clark is just a ‘passer’. Considering her continuous critique and downgrading of Caitlin Clark, another fan believed that Swoopes’ apologies should be as louder as her disrespect for the rookie. The user called the WNBA legend jealous and wrote, “You apologized and went back on podcasts to disrespect her multiple times again. The apologies and the begging must be as loud as the disrespect. You should be ashamed of yourself. Being this old and being this jealous, and awful towards a little kid. This is ugly.”

With such a backlash, Swoopes’ February apology only seems hollow and overshadowed by continued criticism of Caitlin Clark’s rookie season.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show”. Our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.