Caitlin Clark and Sheryl Swoopes. Credit: WNBA
By Arthur Weinstein on

What could have been a terribly awkward moment between WNBA rookie star Caitlin Clark and one of the league’s legends Friday night instead turned into a rather routine interview.

Clark made her much-anticipated preseason debut with the Indiana Fever, scoring 21 points in a loss to the Dallas Wings.

Afterward, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes, a member of the game’s broadcast team, caught up with Clark for an interview.

That could have been trouble; Swoopes drew widespread criticism in February when she suggested Clark’s NCAA scoring record was tainted by the fact she’d had an extra year of competition thanks to Covid rules. In fact, Clark played four seasons of college basketball, the same as previous record holder Kelsey Plum.

So Swoopes caught flak from sports media for not researching the issue more carefully, not to mention Clark’s huge fan base. Some Iowa fans even began wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the message, “Don’t be a Sheryl.”

Although Swoopes said recently she’d reached out to apologize to Clark, some fans had to wonder how things would go when the three-time WNBA MVP talked to Clark after Friday’s game.

Within five seconds, Swoopes drew a broad smile from Clark, an immediate sign there were no hard feelings.

“Your first WNBA game, was it everything you expected it to be?” Swoopes asked.


Swoopes wrapped the interview by saying, “Thanks, good luck the rest of the season.” Clark smiled, thanked Swoopes and walked off.

For anyone looking for drama in that interview, sorry, nothing to see here. Yet some fans checking in on X/Twitter seemed almost disappointed there had not been some sort of fireworks.


[ESPNW; Photo Credit: ESPNW]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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