Cheryl Swoopes Targets Caitlin Clark Again—This Time, the Shade Is Anything But Subtle
If you thought the saga between WNBA legend Cheryl Swoopes and rising superstar Caitlin Clark was cooling down, think again. The flames of controversy have just been fanned—this time, not with words, but with wardrobe.
Last week, Cheryl Swoopes strolled onto Gilbert Arenas’s popular podcast, not with a pointed comment, but with a Paige Bueckers t-shirt. Was it a show of support for a promising rookie? Fans weren’t buying it. To the informed eye, Swoopes’s fashion statement was anything but innocent. It was a well-timed, passive-aggressive swing at Caitlin Clark, the player she just can’t seem to let out of her critical gaze—even after her highly publicized firing from WNBA commentary duties months prior.
A Relentless Campaign
The pageantry of WNBA rivalries has long fueled the league’s headlines, but Swoopes’s problem with Clark isn’t professional competition—it’s personal, and fans are noticing. Over the past two seasons, Swoopes has criticized Clark’s records, undermined her achievements, and continually suggested Clark’s success is more circumstance than skill. From questioning the legitimacy of Clark’s NCAA records to subtle shots during broadcasts (shots that ultimately cost Swoopes her seat at the table), the former MVP has become Clark’s most persistent critic.
“She’s not passing the torch; she’s guarding it like it’s her retirement check,” one analyst quipped during the fevered response to Swoopes’s latest antics. While fans flocked to support Clark, Swoopes doubled down: “If you’re going to break a record,” Swoopes famously declared about Clark, “do it in the same number of games.” The jabs landed as hollow for many, as Clark’s numbers continued to break new ground: rookie scoring records, double-doubles, and fan engagement metrics the league hasn’t seen in decades.
The Paige Bueckers T-Shirt: A Not-So-Subtle Message
Swoopes wearing Paige Bueckers’s name wasn’t a quietly supportive gesture for the next generation—it was a shot across the bow. The message, fans say, was clear: “I’ll support this white player, but not that white player.” Never before had Swoopes publicly championed Bueckers like this. Only now, as Clark defies gravity with every statistical leap, does Paige become the poster player.
This is not an embrace of young talent, but a manufactured rivalry, an attempt to shape public perception. The irony, fans say, is that Bueckers deserves her own spotlight, not to be used as a prop in Swoopes’s vendetta. “Give us a break—the move was painfully transparent,” a furious Fever fan posted on social media, echoing what many felt.
Is the Old Guard Threatened?
For all its history, the WNBA has never seen a phenomenon quite like Caitlin Clark. She breaks records, sells out arenas, commands television ratings—and has the singular gift of making the game seem new. Yet, not everyone is thrilled. As Clark’s ascent continues, some members of the old guard, Swoopes most notably, seem to bristle at a changing of the guard they cannot control.
Why does Swoopes keep pushing the narrative that Clark doesn’t belong? The answer seems rooted less in basketball than in relevance and control. Swoopes’s own MVP season, by the numbers, pales in comparison to Clark’s rookie campaign—a reality more than one commentator has pointed out. Instead of mentoring, Swoopes gatekeeps, unwilling to share the stage or the institutional memory.
Clark: Unbothered and Unstoppable
All the while, Caitlin Clark has done nothing but deliver. She rose through record-breaking numbers, undeniable playmaking brilliance, and an ability to control the moment beneath intense, even unfair, scrutiny. She won Rookie of the Year, took the Indiana Fever to the playoffs, and—when asked about race or rivalry—refused to take any bait, instead staying focused on the game.
Her humility and poise earned her more fans—and more attention. Clark’s rookie year shattered more than records; it shook the league’s cultural status quo, making her not just the face of a team, but the embodiment of a new WNBA era.
A League Reborn, or a League Divided?
Some see these tensions as growing pains. Others see them as attempts by the league’s legacy voices to hold onto a narrative slipping away. However, the numbers—and the fans—don’t lie: Clark brings in millions of new eyeballs, fills NBA-sized venues, and introduces women’s basketball to boys and girls who might never have discovered it otherwise.
In the process, Clark has become less a catalyst for controversy and more a lightning rod for real change in the WNBA. Each record, every triple-double, is less about ego and more about expanding what’s possible.
The Fans Know the Truth
What’s truly telling is how the fans perceive Swoopes’s latest moves. Gone are the days when such tactics might have swayed public opinion. Today’s fans, connected and informed, are quick to separate genuine support from petty shade. “Wear all the t-shirts you want, Cheryl,” one Clark supporter tweeted, “but the future is wearing 22.”
As the 2025 season ramps up, Clark isn’t wasting energy on rivalries manufactured for clickbait—she’s shaping the next generation of greatness. She’s building a league, a movement, and a legend in real time, whether the old guard approves or not.
A Call to Action
So as the noise builds and the social media shade flies, remember what matters: Legends prove themselves in the spotlight, not in side-eye glances or slogan tees. Cheryl Swoopes may keep trying to steer the narrative, but Caitlin Clark is busy rewriting the story of women’s basketball with every dazzling play.
If you’re tired of the fake controversies, if you’re here for the game—drop a “CC for MVP” in the comments. Let the world know that, for once, the fans, not the gatekeepers, are deciding who gets to write the WNBA’s next chapter.
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