WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes had an interesting reaction to Caitlin Clark’s Time Athlete of the Year interview, in which the Fever star said she is aware of her white privilege and she wants to use her platform to uplift Black players.
During Tuesday’s installment of the “Gil’s Arena” podcast, Swoopes was speechless and she shrugged her shoulders when co-host Josiah Johnson mentioned that Clark said the league was mostly built on the shoulders of Black players — such as Swoopes, one of the original players signed to the WNBA when league launched in 1996.
“Your thoughts on Caitlin Clark saying she wants to use her platform to elevate Black women in the WNBA that have obviously been instrumental in building that league to what it is?” Johnson asked.
Swoopes, who has been in the middle of — and sometimes the source of — many of Clark’s controversies, nodded her head during an awkward silence.
Someone who was not captured on camera was heard laughing before Johnson said, “OK.”
Swoopes began talking again when they moved on to another topic.
She explained that she wasn’t surprised Clark — the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA draft, who was named to the All-Star team and won the Rookie of the Year — was named the Time Athlete of the Year.
“I don’t think I’m surprised. 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, it’s pretty special,” Swoopes said.
“And my question is like, the criteria, is it based off her performance on the court? Yeah, she has a great year. Or was is it more about the impact that she had on the game this season?… I think it’s great — not just for her — I think it’s great for the league. Everybody talked about recognition that she brought to the W this season, so for her to be Time magazine Athlete of the Year, I think it’s really great for the league.”
Swoopes, a three-time MVP, won four straight championships as a member of the Houston Comets from 1997-2000. She also won three Olympics gold medals with USA Basketball.
Clark, in her interview, told Time, “I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege. A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.
“The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Clark, 22, doubled down on her comments while on stage at a Time dinner in New York City at Current in Chelsea Piers on Wednesday.
The WNBA star explained that she’s good at “blocking things out” when she was asked about Megyn Kelly’s criticism over her comments about white privilege.
Earlier this year, Swoopes faced backlash for previous comments she made about Clark when she questioned the legitimacy of Clark’s all-time scoring record at Iowa and falsely claimed she had a fifth year to break it during a separate episode of the “Gil’s Arena” podcast.
Swoopes previously denied that she has anything against Clark, and has complimented her game.
The WNBA legend also said Clark fans have acted evil toward her.
