Ever since their unforgettable showdown in the 2023 NCAA final, Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have sparked a captivating rivalry that has spilled over into their WNBA careers. While there have been many fans and analysts to both praise and critique these rookies, one voice that stands out is of the WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes’. It has been pretty clear whose side she’s on—or at least who she’s not backing. Swoopes hasn’t held back in criticizing Caitlin Clark, and she made her stance even clearer during her recent appearance on Reese’s podcast.

In a recent episode of Angel Reese’s podcast, Swoopes joined the Sky forward for a lively discussion about top players in today’s game. Reese kicked things off by asking Swoopes for her thoughts on the best scorers, both past and present. Swoopes didn’t hesitate to share her picks from the current WNBA scene.

“I mean you got to go with A’ja cuz she just broke the record yeah period. A’ja is a bucket. Kelsey Mitchell is a bucket to me okay when you talk about just scoring okay and I got Arike (Ogunbowale) period, Arike too,” stated the 4x WNBA champion. Interestingly, the legend once again left out Caitlin Clark, despite her impressive 769-point rookie season and finishing fourth in the WNBA MVP race.

Instead, she chose Kelsey Mitchell from Fever who averaged the same points as Clark in the regular season and also notched a total of 38 points in the the two losing games against Sun in first round of playoffs. This isn’t the first time Swoopes has overlooked the No.1 pick as despite the Fever’s impressive run after the All-Star break, Swoopes praised players like Lexie Hull, Aliyah Boston, and Mitchell, but didn’t give Clark any credit. Earlier, she had even stated that the Fever would make the playoffs without the Iowa alum.

However, when Reese asked about her assists pick, Swoopes did include Clark’s name alongside Chelsea Gray and Natasha Cloud as top playmakers on her list. The Fever No.22, after all, has led the league in assists this season, averaging an impressive 8.4 per game. Swoopes also addressed the perception that she dislikes Clark, insisting that’s simply not true. She acknowledged her only misstep occurred during her podcast in February, for which she has since offered an apology. But, when the conversation moved to rebounding, Swoopes quickly turned her attention back to praising the show host.

Swoopes endorses Angel Reese along with the latest MVP winner

The retired 3x MVP quickly singled out the Sky rookie as her top pick for rebounding in today’s WNBA and solidified her admiration for Reese’s game. When asked about her current picks, she included Reese and A’ja Wilson, reflecting on the legends of the past. “I mean I I got three cuz they were all Lisa (Leslie), Yolanda Griffith and Sylvia F (Fowels). Those three were problems when it came to rebounding yeah and today um, you,” said Swoopes on Unapologetically Angel.

She continued to praise Reese, noting that people made well-deserved comparisons to NBA legend Dennis Rodman, known for his incredible rebounding skills. Swoopes also emphasized that Sky forward brings something special to the court,  “It’s like those three (former legends) that I named but there’s still something very different about your rebounding you just find a way to get the basketball.”

https://twitter.com/angelreeseshow/status/1839410086185463837

In the past, some critics have downplayed Reese’s rebounding stats by highlighting they mainly came from her own missed shots. However, Swoopes still had a different perspective on this as she stated earlier, “Well, that’s what you’re taught to do. You’re taught to follow your shot. So just in case you miss, you can get the offensive rebound and put it up.”

It’s no surprise that Angel Reese has earned the title of “Rebound Queen” since her WNBA debut. Despite facing a season-ending injury that cut her campaign short, she still managed to finish with an impressive average of 13.1 rebounds per game—outperforming even MVP A’ja Wilson who averaged 11.9. “You and A’ja, I think are to me the two best rebounders in the league right now,” Swoopes declared, highlighting both players as they topped the rebounding charts this season.