The old cliché “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” might be one that Sheryl Swoopes has begun to subscribe to.
Over the past few months, the WNBA legend has made multiple headlines for her commentary regarding Caitlin Clark. That’s led to some dustups with fellow media members, including most recently Stephen A. Smith, who called Swoopes “insane” for refusing to credit Clark for the Indiana Fever’s recent rise (Swoopes fired back, calling Smith a “coward” while defending her right to talk about whoever she wants to on her podcast).
Whether Swoopes’ analysis of Clark has been overblown is a story for a different day, but if nothing else, there’s certainly a perception that the three-time WNBA MVP has an issue with the former Iowa star. And that notion was only furthered on Tuesday, as she called the matchup between the Dallas Wings and Las Vegas Aces on NBA TV.
While Clark obviously wasn’t a part of the game Swoopes was calling, she made a brief cameo during a stoppage in play as play-by-play man Ron Thulin noted the WNBA’s Players of the Week. As Thulin called attention to Clark’s impressive week, in which she averaged 25 points, nine assists and five rebounds (as well as Napheesa Collier’s recent play), Swoopes remained noticeably silent, not saying a word until play resumed
That was so awkward.. what’s wrong with her 😂 https://t.co/bSPm8W0UgD pic.twitter.com/hWhoiEJOru
— maxine (@maxinem29) August 28, 2024
While Thulin was the one who started the read, there were multiple dead spots in the brief segment that one would have expected the analyst’s voice to fill. Typically, the play-by-play person tells you what’s happening — in this case, who the Players of the Week are — and the analyst provides his or her insight, which didn’t happen in this instance.
Obviously, there’s no way to prove intent here and there are a number of viable explanations beyond Swoopes snubbing Clark that would make sense. Perhaps she was using the break in play to drink some water or maybe she simply wasn’t prepared for this particular segment. But regardless of the reason, Swoopes won’t be able to avoid talking about Clark for long, as the Wings will host the Fever on Sunday, Sept. 1.
