Three-time WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes has repeatedly questioned Caitlin Clark’s role in the Indiana Fever. From suggesting locker room trouble due to Clark’s following to now criticizing the franchise’s handling of Kelsey Mitchell, Swoopes has remained vocal. However, her comments are now backfiring, as fans are calling her out for pushing a false narrative.

It all started with Swoopes’ appearance on ‘Levels to This With Sheryl Swoopes and Terrika Foster-Brasby’ podcast in November last year. She had argued that the Fever failed to give Mitchell the credit she deserved for her outstanding 2024 season. “Personally, here’s where I think [the Fever] didn’t do a very good job, and that was with Kelsey Mitchell, who’s an unrestricted free agent,” Swoopes shared. “Because Kelsey Mitchell had a hell of a season this season, and I don’t think that she got the credit that she deserved.”

The supposed reason behind the comment? The limelight that Clark is allegedly stealing both on and off the court. It’s worth noting that both Clark and Mitchell, scored similar points during the 2024 season—19.2. However, Mitchell had 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.7 steals on an average throughout the season, whereas Clark contributed with 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 1.3 steals. However, it’s safe to say that the teammates have never exuded any animosity between themselves. On the contrary, the air of respect was palpable, which was further evident by their statements. But before we get to that…

Notably, this wasn’t the first time Swoopes had taken aim at the Fever’s locker room. In September last year, she appeared on Gil’s Arena and claimed that some players weren’t happy being part of the team because of the negative attention from Clark fans. “There’s a lot of other s–t going on, that other [Fever] players are like, ‘This ain’t where I want to be.’ So you have players that are very significant on this Indiana Fever team that are like, ‘I don’t think this is where I wanna be this year’,” she alleged.

The 53-year-old even doubled down with an example to make her point. “What happens when Aliyah ain’t playing well again?” You know what I mean? As a player, do you want to continue to stay in a situation where you keep yourself vulnerable to all of the hate that you know is going to come to you if you’re not playing the way everybody thinks you should be playing?” 

However, former LA Clippers player Sam Dekker wasn’t having it. Not long after, he had tweeted on September 17, “Being on the Rockets with Prime Harden was the best s—t ever. We were on National TV all the time, won a ton of huge games in awesome moments, and he made the game incredibly easy for guys like me. I don’t believe for a second that the team dislikes it.”

Having said that, come January 29, Swoopes’ hypothesis appears to have fallen flat. Mitchell re-signed with the Fever after months of speculation, inking a massive $249,244 core qualifying offer. In reality, the decision had been settled long before Swoopes’ speculation. Despite her claims, the Fever had no intentions of letting Mitchell walk.

Fever president Kelly Krauskopf made it clear that keeping Mitchell was a top priority. “Everything about Kelsey Mitchell is core, right? Her core values, her core basketball—everything about her is what we’re about. And so there was no way she was going anywhere else but the Indiana Fever. This was a great day for our franchise. It starts with her, and her legacy continues in an Indiana jersey,” Krauskopf stated in a video posted on X.

Even Mitchell, who has spent her entire seven-year WNBA career in Indiana, embraced the decision wholeheartedly. She snuck in a little praise and credit for the 2024 ROTY too. “Indiana has been my second home since I went pro, so this is the only city I know,” Mitchell said. “To see you guys open your arms up to me … that was a big part of me coming back. Then I met one of the greatest people in the world, Caitlin Clark, who just ran the basketball world. I think, together, we hope to make you guys proud.” 

Even in the November 2024 edition of The Players’ Tribune, Mitchell had noted about Clark, “That’s kind of one of the craziest things about our season. We obviously had a new spotlight on us, with Caitlin being drafted, who I’m proud to call a teammate. That was exciting in its own way, with the fans it brought to the arena, and the opportunity it gave our squad. “

Now that the decision has been made leaving Swoopes’ statements without any backing, the retired veteran seems to have found herself at the center of controversy once again.

Fans fire back at Sheryl Swoopes after Kelsey Mitchell stays with Indiana Fever

Now, with Kelsey Mitchell choosing to stay in Indiana, fans are calling out Sheryl Swoopes for pushing what they believe was a false narrative about the Fever’s locker room. One user on X mocked, “Sheryl Swoopes told us Indiana was a toxic place! Just a pure hater.”

Mitchell has previously spoken about the gruelling impact of all the attention the team suddenly came under. She admits the ‘microscope got smaller and smaller,’ leaving them hardly any room to breathe. But what got her through? Her teammates. She reveals they stuck together so close, ‘none of the chaos outside seeped into the locker room’. So while the newness had its downside, Mitchell isn’t blaming it on their rookie. It doesn’t sit right with fans that Swoopes stirred something there might not have been.

“Nailed it again, Sheryl Swoopes. LMAO,” one wrote sarcastically.

The veteran guard has always had her praises up for the 2024 ROTY. But it has also included respect and care more often. “I hope we did a good job of being there for you, too, C ❤️,” she had written on Players Tribune, expressing her respects for carrying herself the way she did. Now the bond clearly solidified with the new contract, Indiana seems to be proving its doubters wrong. Swoopes one among them, per fans.

“Somebody go tell Sheryl Swoopes’ miserable ass. So I can see her crash out 🤣🤣🤣🤣” another quipped.

The former Houston Commets’ star’s repeated remarks on Kelsey and Fever, have fans believed she wanted the star guard out. Come the Fever’s announcement, it has only added to fans’ fury.

“Sheryl Swoopes wanted her off that team so bad I just need to know why. Gil keeps those episodes up, and she was really selling a team could offer better than the Fever to Kelsey. The campfire stories being told on Gil’s Arena about that Fever locker room will not be forgotten.”

No doubt, both Clark and Mitchell were one of the league’s most dynamic backcourts last season. Both averaging nearly 19.2 points per game, continue to build towards contention.

Given that success, Swoopes’ remarks about the Fever’s locker room weren’t well received by many fans. The criticisms also reached a point of the former W star being mimicked through memes. A spectator posted a Wired GIF, captioning it, “Sheryl Swoopes somewhere seeing that push notification on her phone.”

The Fever, coming off a playoff appearance, is on the rise and fans are making it clear they never bought into Swoopes’ claims. So all the noise aside, Mitchell is ready to make it a championship season alongside the 2024 ROTY.