The ongoing tension between WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes and rising star Caitlin Clark has become one of the most intriguing storylines in sports this season. It’s no secret that Swoopes hasn’t been the most enthusiastic supporter of Clark, the Indiana Fever’s standout rookie. With the Fever visiting the Dallas Wings on Sunday, fans eagerly anticipated how Swoopes, an analyst for the Wings, would react on air. But instead of getting any commentary from Swoopes, viewers were surprised to find her absent from the broadcast booth entirely.
Instead, fellow women’s basketball legend Nancy Lieberman joined Ron Thulin in calling the game. The unexpected change sparked a flurry of speculation online, with many assuming that Swoopes had been “replaced” or “pulled” in a last-minute “broadcast shakeup.”
While the headlines were sensational, the reality was far more mundane. The Wings had announced before the season that Swoopes, Lieberman, and former WNBA champion Fran Harris would rotate as analysts throughout the year. Sunday’s game just happened to be Lieberman’s turn in the rotation—a decision likely made long before Clark’s arrival in Dallas became a storyline. In fact, Harris had called the Wings’ game against the Minnesota Lynx just two days prior without stirring any controversy.
This wasn’t the first time Swoopes found herself at the center of a media storm regarding Clark. Earlier in the season, during a preseason game in May, Swoopes actually called one of Clark’s games and even conducted a post-game interview with the rookie. But the tension between the two has simmered since February, when Swoopes publicly questioned the legitimacy of Clark’s NCAA scoring records at Iowa.
As the WNBA season progressed, Swoopes faced increasing criticism from fellow analysts like Elle Duncan and Stephen A. Smith for her continued skepticism toward Clark. Even when the Wings recently highlighted Clark as one of the WNBA Players of the Week, Swoopes remained conspicuously silent, further fueling the narrative that she harbors a bias against the young star.
Given all this, Swoopes’ absence on Sunday was probably for the best. Had she been in the booth, every word she uttered would have been dissected, potentially overshadowing the game itself, where the Fever extended their winning streak with a 100-93 victory, thanks to standout performances from Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark, who scored 36 and 28 points respectively.
The Wings and Fever are set to face off again on September 15th in Indiana, with the game being broadcast locally in Dallas on Bally Sports Southwest. If Swoopes isn’t on the call for that game either, it might be worth considering whether her absence is merely a coincidence or something more deliberate.
