That’s the question nobody needed to ask Sheryl Swoopes because we just got our answer – she’s been officially fired from all WNBA TV broadcasts for the 2025 season.
Sheryl Swoopes questions Caitlin Clark TIME honor and wants to ‘know other candidates’
Sheryl Swoopes discussed Caitlin Clark’s TIME Magazine’s Athlete of the Year and praised the selection after asking about the criteria while naming other options.
Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Rookie of the Year season culminated in being named TIME Magazine’s Athlete of the Year in an announcement made on Tuesday morning.
WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes, often critical of Clark, weighed in on the honor and acknowledged the achievement while also posing new questions about the criteria for the recognition.
Swoopes, basketball Hall of Famer and part-time panelist on the Gil’s Arena YouTube show, joined the discussion on Clark’s honor during the same episode the news broke. While she celebrated the moment as monumental for the WNBA, she also listed other names that deserved recognition for the honor.
“I don’t think I’m surprised,” Swoopes began. “I’m curious to know who the other candidates were. But the fact that that’s the very first WNBA player to ever win TIME Magazine Athlete of the Year is pretty special.”
The Hall of Famer spoke to panelists Gilbert Arenas and Kenyon Martin and asked, “And my question is, like, the criteria… is it based off of her performance on the court? Yes, she had a great year.
Or is it more about the impact that she had on the game this season?” Clark and her popular rookie class of hoopers, including Angel Reese, brought new eyes to the WNBA this season.
The Fever rookie became central to the league’s marketing efforts, fan engagement tactics, and schedule-making.
“You could put A’ja Wilson in there,” she said, referencing the reigning league MVP and two-time champion with the Las Vegas Aces. Swoopes also suggested names like Olympians Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, and LeBron James, who earned Gold medals at the Paris Olympics.
Swoopes seemingly fractured a longtime friendship with fellow WNBA icon Nancy Lieberman after she misspoke following Clark breaking the NCAA All-Time scoring record.
Swoopes explained that Clark only broke the record due to an additional COVID-19 eligibility season that the former Iowa guard didn’t take.
She also criticized Clark’s rookie season by saying, “Those are hell of numbers, but to me, that’s not dominating the game.” She finished the season averaging 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, and 5.7 rebounds on 41 shooting and 122 made 3-pointers. Clark also broke reasons for allo-time WNBA rookie scoring and overall assists in a year with 337.
“I called [Sheryl Swoopes] as a friend, and I said, ‘You can have your own opinion about anybody, but you do have to get the stats right.’ She got upset with me and so our relationship is pretty much not happening at this point,” said Lieberman.
