ESPN’s Elle Duncan talks Sheryl Swoopes’ Caitlin Clark ‘hate,’ then issues apology

WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has made quite a name for herself with her basketball accolades and continues to use that name to spread her influence on the game.

A favorite target of Swoopes this year has been Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.

In fact, Swoopes has struck so many times WNBA fans and reporters are calling her a Caitlin Clark hater.

ESPN analyst Elle Duncan used her platform Thursday to discuss Swoopes’ comments on “The Elle Duncan Show” with Gary Striewski on Thursday. However, Duncan issued her own apology on Friday morning.

Here’s what you need to know:

Who is Sheryl Swoopes?

Sheryl Swoopes is a four-time WNBA Champion and three-time MVP, who played for the Houston Comets, Seattle Storm and Tulsa Shock. The 2016 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee was also a six-time WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. She averaged 15.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists over 12 seasons.

Swoopes has also worked for ESPN, SEC Network and the Longhorn Network as a color analyst and play-by-play announcer.

Swoopes previously made negative comments about Caitlin Clark on a podcast with Gilbert Arenas prior to the WNBA season. Here’s a look at the comments that Swoopes ended up apologizing for due to some inaccuracies:

• “Caitlin Clark right now probably takes about 40 shots a game (and) when she comes to the league, regardless of what team she goes to that has vets on that team, she probably ain’t gonna get 40 shots a game.”

• “Kelsey Plum set that record in four years. Well, Caitlin should’ve broke that record in four years. But because there’s a COVID year, and then there’s another year, and — you know what I mean? She’s already had an extra year to break that record. So, is it truly a broken record? I don’t know. I don’t think so. But yeah, that’ll go in the record books … and I don’t think it should.”

The inaccuracies? Clark was shooting nowhere near 40 shots per game (she averaged 20.1 attempts a game for her Iowa career), and she only played college basketball for four years. The same number as Plum.

What did Sheryl Swoopes say about Caitlin Clark?

Sheryl Swoopes’ most recent comments directed at Caitlin Clark on the “Queens of the Court” podcast with Jordan Robinson claimed the Fever guard wasn’t as deserving of the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award as Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese but went on to add Indiana would still be a playoff team without Clark. Here’s what Swoopes said:

• “I think Caitlin (Clark) has done, I think, exactly what was expected of her with Indiana. The reason why they drafted her. What the expectations were, and I think she’s done just that.”

• “Is Indiana in the playoffs right now, without Caitlin? … When you look at the overall team, like the pieces that they have, without question, Indiana has better players than Chicago from top to bottom. No doubt about it.”

What did ESPN’s Elle Duncan say about Sheryl Swoopes’ Caitlin Clark comments?

Elle Duncan opened up her take on Sheryl Swoopes saying, “Someone did take a loss in the basketball world this week, though. And I love her, but she’s wrong here.”

Duncan doesn’t take issue with Swoopes’ stance about Reese potentially winning WNBA Rookie of the Year, but rather her explanations afterward about how the Fever are still a playoff team without Clark.

“It just feels like there is something there, and I’m not really sure what’s not connecting with Sheryl, and why …” Duncan said.

“This just doesn’t feel right at all, and it is starting to feel a little bit like hate from Sheryl.”

Co-host Gary Striewski agreed with Duncan noting, “This beef — that’s very much one-sided Sheryl Swoopes to Caitlin Clark — is insane.”

Did ESPN’s Elle Duncan apologize to Sheryl Swoopes?

Yes. Elle Duncan issued an apology to Sheryl Swoopes on X / Twitter.

Caitlin Clark WNBA stats with Indiana Fever

Caitlin Clark is averaging 17.1 points, 8.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 0.8 blocks and 5.6 turnovers per game for the Indiana Fever in 2024.

Chris Sims is a digital content producer at Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Does Sheryl Swoopes hate Caitlin Clark? ‘This beef … is insane’