Sheryl Swoopes claps backs at Stephen A. Smith for labeling her 'insane' for not acknowledging Caitlin Clark's impact on Fever

WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes clapped back at veteran ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith for calling her "insane" for ignoring Caitlin Clark while talking about the Indiana Fever. The four-time WNBA champion accused Stephen A. of jumping to a conclusion without even listening to the entire podcast where she spoke about the Fever players.

"You talk about whomever and whatever you want to on your podcast," Swoopes said in a tweet on Friday.

"Correct? So why can't I? Also, did you listen to the ENTIRE episode? NOPE! I have a personal relationship with these players and they deserve recognition as well," she added.

In another tweet, Swoopes accused Stephen A. of not giving the same attention to other players in the league as he does to Clark.

"Do you talk about them (or others in the league) and give them their props? I hope y'all take all of this energy to the polls and vote!" Swoopes added.

Swoopes made headlines after speaking candidly about Indiana's performance following the Olympic break. In her podcast "Queens of the Court," the three-time WNBA champion mentioned Lexie Hull, Kelsey Mitchell, and Aliyah Boston by name but noticeably omitted rookie Caitlin Clark.

"I think the Olympic break really helped Indiana," Swoopes had said.

"I'm going to shout out Lexi Hull. I'm a big Lexie Hull fan. Lexie Hull shot the leather off the ball in their game against Seattle. Kelsey Mitchell is just stroking. She's just shooting the basketball. Aliyah Boston—almost a triple-double! If Indiana continues to play the way they're playing like this, they too are going to move up in the standings," she added.

What did Stephen A. Smith say about Sheryl Swoopes?

Stephen A. Smith criticized Sheryl Swoopes for overlooking Caitlin Clark and didn’t hold back on the WNBA legend's commentary. The ESPN analyst argued that incidents like this only fuel the narrative that Clark is being unfairly targeted by the WNBA community.

“Respectfully, Sheryl Swoopes, do you have any idea how that makes you look?" Stephen A. Smith said on his podcast.

"Do you have any idea how that serves to stain any kind of critique of Caitlin Clark? Because that gives fodder to those who believe she's being hated on and ostracized to some degree," he added.

He went further criticized Swoopes, calling her "insane" and insisting that there was no way she accidentally omitted Clark's name from her commentary.

“You're insane to do that. Let me tell you why you're insane to do that. Because, Cheryl Swoopes, you're one of the greatest players ever in the history of basketball... You know basketball. You know basketball better than me. You know basketball better than any of the pundits," the veteran analyst continued.

"You know basketball better than most of the men that play basketball. There is no way in hell you just accidentally left Caitlin Clark's name out of that soliloquy you dropped about the Indiana Fever. Stop it. You know that. Stop it," he further added.

Talking about Clark, the Fever rookie is enjoying an excellent start to her professional career and is the main reason behind the franchise's 13-15 record after playing 28 games.

The former Iowa superstar averages 17.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.3 assists. Clark leads the league in assists and has recorded 10 double-doubles so far in the ongoing season.