"Lying through her damn teeth" - Stephen A. Smith refutes Sheryl Swoopes' claims of not accepting podcast invite

Stephen A. Smith called out Sheryl Swoopes again on Wednesday, continuing the beef between the two ESPN analysts.

Swoopes claimed on Tuesday on an X (formerly Twitter) space that she asked Smith if she could come on his podcast, but he didn't respond and blocked her. Smith has now denied those claims in a SiriusXM NBA Radio appearance.

"Sheryl Swoopes went on the air and said I blocked her? Lies," Smith said. "She said she offered to come on my show and she texted me? Lies. Never happened."

Smith added that he had his team reach out to Swoopes. He went on record on his podcast, inviting the WNBA legend for a chat over their debate regarding Caitlin Clark.

"I back up from no one when it comes to my profession," Smith said. "I'm going to do my job, I cover the NBA for crying out loud for all of these years. We've seen superstars far bigger, far much more cached than a Sheryl Swoopes who has been retired for years. You ain't see me run from them, me blocking somebody, me not having somebody on my show, that is utterly ridiculous.

"Sheryl Swoopes ... is lying through her damn teeth, there is no truth, zero, to what she just said."

Stephen A. Smith and Sheryl Swoopes' beef started when Smith called her out for not giving Caitlin Clark credit for the Fever's surge. Swoopes instead lauded Kelsey Mitchell and the Fever's role players for their winning stretch after the WNBA season resumed.

Things escalated after Smith invited another WNBA legend, Nancy Lieberman, to his show, where the two criticized Swoopes' treatment of Clark.

Swoopes clapped back at Lieberman and Smith after their podcast interaction about her went viral.

"Now here you go! I get what you trying to do wit ya boy but it ain't working," Swoopes tweeted. "You know good and well what happened. And ditto...my life is good without you too(and him). You wanna go there?"

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Sheryl Swoopes under fire for her critical comments on Caitlin Clark

Swoopes has been in the crosshairs of WNBA fans online for her comments about Caitlin Clark over the past year. After failing to acknowledge Clark's achievements on air following her WNBA debut, a few older instances have resurfaced. Those include questioning Clark's NCAA scoring record with supposedly inaccurate statements, and calling her a 'bully.'

On her podcast, Swoopes also said the Fever had enough to make the playoffs without Clark's contributions.

Her opinions and claims have copped plenty of backlash. Her social media is filled with fierce criticism from not only Caitlin Clark's supporters, but also prominent personalities like Stephen A. Smith and Nancy Lieberman.